WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Police departments across the state of Kansas are joining together as a part of the “You Drink. You Drive. You Lose.” campaign, to remove impaired drivers from roads.
According to a news release, one person is killed in a drunk-driving crash every 52 minutes in the United States. The campaign hopes to lower the number of drunk-driving fatalities.
The Hays Police Department said in a Facebook post the campaign is intended to remind drivers to take a moment to consider how it would be to begin every day with the memory of your decision if it resulted in injury or death.
“If you are driving impaired, you are not only more likely to crash, but that crash is much more likely to cause serious injury or death. Think about your family, your friends, your coworkers, neighbors,” the post said.
The Garden City Police Department in a news release Thursday gave reminders to Kansas drivers:
- If you’re going to drink alcohol away from home, do it responsibly by lining up a designated driver before you leave.
- Check your medications for driving warnings. More and more in Kansas, DUI arrests are occurring during daytime hours, primarily due to the side effects of prescription drugs.
- Think of a family you know – maybe your own – and consider how it would be to wake up every day to the memory of your decision to drive after ingesting something which unintentionally brought injury or death to one of them.
- A DUI arrest can cost you thousands and, in the case of alcohol, will result in the installation of an ignition interlock device in your vehicle.
- We ask all citizens on the roadways – drivers and passengers alike – to watch for suspicious driving behaviors. Note the location, a description of the suspect vehicle, and its direction of travel, and call 911 as soon as it’s safe to do so. You may save a life.
- Always remember that your best protection against an impaired driver (even when it’s you) is the use of seat belts and appropriate child restraints. Restraints save lives and reduce injury severity across a wide range of driving mistakes and mishaps.
The campaign goes from August 20 through Labor Day, Sept. 7.