Kentucky transportation officials are conducting a Labor Day campaign to highlight the importance of sober driving.
Bill Bell, Executive Director of the Office of Highway Safety, said while officers do patrol for impaired drivers year-round, this event will bring special awareness to an issue that affects many Kentuckians every year.
“Right now, we are in the midst of the ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ campaign, which is a high visibility enforcement campaign. And so, what that means is we want to make sure all drivers know about this campaign and that the police will be out in force looking for impaired drivers. And so, they will be doing this through the Labor Day weekend,” said Bell.
Bell said impaired driving is a nationwide problem, and Kentucky is no different.
“One of the major problems regarding highway safety is impairment. When it comes to alcohol-related impairment, Kentucky is lower than the national average, which is great. However, when you include drugged driving, we are closer to that national average,” said Bell.
Last year in Kentucky there were 4,324 total crashes involving an impaired driver, resulting in 2,085 injuries and 181 deaths. During last year’s Labor Day weekend, there were 77 crashes involving an impaired driver, resulting in 29 injuries and six deaths.
Bell said these numbers are unacceptable, and that he hopes this campaign will help people make smarter choices when it comes to celebrating this year.
Officials said if someone sees an impaired driver, they should pull over and contact law enforcement. The KSP toll-free line is 1-800-222-5555. They ask that vehicle description, license number, location, and, if possible, direction of travel are all provided.