‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ this holiday season
FRANKFORT, Ky. – This holiday season, Kentucky law enforcement will be cracking down on drunken drivers throughout the state during the aggressive Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign.
The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS), in partnership with Louisville Metro Police Department, kicked off the campaign, which runs through Jan. 1, 2014, at a press conference Thursday at Saints Pizza and Pub in Louisville.
“We are giving fair warning to all partygoers,” KOHS Director Bill Bell said. “Officers will show zero tolerance for anyone driving while intoxicated.”
National data show the holiday season is a particularly deadly time due to the increased number of drunken drivers on the roads.
In December, from 2007 to 2011, there were 4,169 people killed in crashes nationwide that involved drivers with blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08 grams per deciliter or higher.
“We will be out in force, keeping our roads safe for travelers heading to visit friends and family,” Louisville Metro Police Department Sgt. Kevin Hamlin. “If you choose to drive drunk, we will see you, we will stop you and you will be arrested.”
To aid in keeping drunken drivers off the road, the KOHS partnered with Mobile Life Solutions to develop a “No DUI Kentucky” application.
The app contains the following:
- A one-touch dial feature to call the Kentucky State Police if a motorist needs to report a drunken driver
- A list of local taxi services, sober ride programs and limousine companies by working with the caller’s Global Positioning System
- A link to Kentucky’s HERO designated driver campaign website
- Information on laws and penalties for driving while impaired and the cost of getting a DUI
- A Blood Alcohol Concentration calculator
- A feature that turns the camera into impairment goggles
- A feature to select a designated driver
The “No DUI Kentucky” app is available to download for free in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and the Windows Phone Store. Or, it can be downloaded at www.DriveSoberKY.com. Georgia and Wisconsin are the only states to date that have similar applications.
“This day in age, most people have smart phones, so we’re putting the information directly in their hands,” Bell said. “We hope it will greatly reduce the number of people who choose to drink and drive.”
Remember, it is never safe to drink and drive: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
For more information, visit the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign Headquarters at www.nhtsa.gov/drivesober.
