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Governor Steve Beshear's Communications Office
Governor Beshear, KOHS, Law Enforcement Warn Motorists: If you’re over the limit, you’ll be under arrest
Campaign against drunken driving runs through Labor Day
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Gov. Steve Beshear today joined the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety and Louisville Metro Police Department to announce that KOHS will join law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the nation, Aug. 20 through Labor Day, to take part in the “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest” crackdown on impaired driving. The campaign was announced today during a news conference at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville.
“Highway safety has always been a high priority of this administration,” Gov. Beshear said. “We fully support this campaign and law enforcement officers throughout the state working to keep impaired drivers off the road.”
Drunken driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008 alone, nearly 12,000 people were killed in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher.
“A BAC of 0.08 is the legal limit, but that doesn’t mean you can safely drive at 0.07,” said KOHS Executive Director Chuck Geveden. “Impairment begins as soon as you take that first drink, affecting your reaction time and ability to think clearly.”
Last year, Kentucky recorded over 5,400 alcohol-related crashes, resulting in 203 deaths and more than 2,600 injuries. Jefferson County ranked No. 1, with 935 such collisions, causing 508 injuries and 21 fatalities.
Lt. Col. Vincent Robison, of the Louisville Metro Police Department, said officers will be out in force during this holiday period. “We’ll be out day and night, but with a special emphasis during the high-risk nighttime hours, when impaired drivers are most likely to be on our roads,” Robinson said. “We will be watching and if you are caught driving impaired, I guarantee you will be arrested.”
During the 2009 Labor Day holiday weekend, 10 people were killed and more than 340 were injured on Kentucky roadways. Six of those deaths involved alcohol.
Geveden warned of the consequences of driving while impaired. “Even if you beat the odds and walk away from an impaired driving crash, violators often face jail time, loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, lost work time and dozens of other expenses,” Geveden said. “The greatest risk, however, is taking someone’s life.”
Gov. Beshear encouraged motorists to take a simple precaution to help prevent injury or death.
“Wearing a seat belt is not only the law in Kentucky, but it is your best defense against a drunk driver,” said Gov. Beshear.
The national crackdown, led by NHTSA, combines high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity.
“The message is clear and simple,” said Gov. Beshear. “If you are over the limit, you will be under arrest.”
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