Tonganoxie Police Department in statewide campaign during holiday weekend
Tonganoxie police will be joining other law enforcement officials across the state, including the Kansas Highway Patrol, in the Kansas Thanksgiving Traffic Enforcement Campaign through Sunday.
The campaign, which started Monday, will take place through a Kansas Department of Transportation grant that underwrites overtime traffic enforcement that especially targets impaired drivers and vehicle occupants not properly wearing safety restraints.
The Thanksgiving holiday outranks all other holidays in its number of alcohol-related crashes, according to Tonganoxie police Sgt. Steve Hawkins. On average, in Kansas, six people are killed or injured in alcohol-related crashes each day, Hawkins said. And each week, more than 300 drivers are arrested for driving under the influence.
As for safety restraints, people who do not buckle up are about 12 times more likely to be killed and almost twice as likely to suffer injury as those who do buckle up, according to Hawkins.
“Keep in mind that if you are drinking — any amount at all –don’t consider driving home,” Hawkins said. “Arrange to ride with a non-drinking acquaintance. Don’t let pride or concerns for your convenience endanger your life and the lives of innocent others. Always wear your seat belt and don’t move the vehicle until each person riding with you is buckled in.”