A special traffic enforcement effort is now underway on Kansas highways.
The Kansas Department of Transportation is funding the Kansas Thanksgiving Safe Arrival campaign. A KDOT grant is underwriting overtime costs as law enforcement agencies try to keep impaired drivers off the road while ensuring people are properly buckled as they drive — or ticket those that aren’t.
KDOT says the day before Thanksgiving sees more impairment-related crashes than any other day of the year, whether the impairment comes from alcohol or drugs. Across Kansas, three people are hurt daily and one person is killed every four days due to alcohol- or drug-related crashes. People involved in impairment-related crashes are also more than 2 1/2 times more likely to be hurt or killed than those involved in crashes where alcohol or drugs were not a factor.
KDOT reminds drivers a DUI conviction will result in jail time, suspension or revocation of driver’s licenses, fines ranging from $500 to $2,500 and other penalties.
The campaign goes through Sunday.
