Lyon County deputies are in the early stages of their annual traffic enforcement effort leading up to and through the Labor Day weekend.
The “You Drink, You Drive, You Lose” campaign involves deputies putting in extra time, as funded by the Kansas Department of Transporation, to look for impaired drivers. On KVOE’s Morning Show on Wednesday, Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope says DUI incidents seem to happen in spurts.
Cope says one person dies every minute across the country because of a drunk-driving crash — and that stat does not include driving while under the influence of drugs or driving while distracted by cell phones or other technology. Cope says numbers like those aren’t acceptable, but he says society in general is more accepting of people using designated drivers when impaired. Cope also says deputies handle impairment by drugs or technology in the same manner as impairment by alcohol, but drug-related impairment may be difficult to identify at times.
The state considers a driver impaired with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher. Cope says it can only take two drinks to make a person impaired, depending on the situation. He also says DUI convictions can have several impacts, including restrictions or suspensions on driver’s licenses, jail time, court costs and attorney fees.
