Thursday, August 12, 2010

With the Labor Day weekend approaching, local and state authorities are gearing up to keep drunken drivers off the roads.

Beginning Aug. 20, there will be more patrols across Kansas. In Wichita, a grant from KDOT is helping supply an additional 5-6 patrols in each of the city's four police bureaus, WPD Lt. Joe Schroeder said.

The annual nationwide crack down on drunken drivers lasts only two and a half weeks, but officials say its impact extends far beyond Labor Day.

"As a community and as law enforcement, we already do a lot," said WPD Deputy Chief Terri Moses. "But simply the best way to deal with drunk driving is not to do it."

In addition to more officers on the roads, drivers in Sedgwick County can expect to see more DUI check lanes at night.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 32% of all fatal crashes across the country involved a drunken driver in 2008. There were nearly 12,000 fatalities, averaging almost one every 45 minutes.

"These are not accidents," said KDOT traffic safety manager Pete Bodyk. "These are crashes. They can be prevented... these are not something that just happens."

Whitney Williams, an 18-year-old and recent Wichita high school graduate, is joining the fight to keep impaired drivers off the road.

Williams lost her father, 43-year-old Kevin Williams, in 2008. He was killed when his motorcycle was struck by a hit and run driver. That driver was eventually arrested. He had been drinking, although his blood alcohol level was .03, well within the legal limit.

Even though the driver was not legally drunk, Williams - and experts - say any amount of alcohol in a person's system can impair a driver's abilities and reaction times.

"I felt alone. I felt like nobody knew what I was going through," Williams said.

Williams said her father wasn't the only victim. His entire family suffered from the loss.

But Williams says she's channeled her anger and frustration into motivation. As she prepares for college, she has also become an outspoken advocate, often counseling and speaking with convicted drunk drivers. She shares her story with them.

"When they come up to me and tell me 'you just changed my life,' that's so touching for me," Williams said. "I'm like, 'Wow. I can do this.'"

The anti-drunk driving enforcement campaign runs through September 6th. Officers say if you're stopped and suspected of driving under the influence, you will go to jail. They are hoping the promise of jail time and the loss of a driving license will be enough to keep drivers from making a dangerous and potentially deadly mistake.