2009-H01
NEWS RELEASE:  April 8 , 2009
FROM:   The Kansas Highway Patrol
CONTACT:  Jeff Scott, Trooper (620) 431-2100

Sobriety Checkpoint Planned

The Kansas Highway Patrol, Fort Scott Police Department, and Bourbon County Sheriff's Department are planning to conduct a sobriety checkpoint this month in the Fort Scott area.

A sobriety checkpoint intended to remove impaired drivers will be set up in the Fort. Scott area. "The purpose of these checkpoints," according to a Highway Patrol spokesperson, "is not to harass motorists, but to decrease crashes through awareness and enforcement."

These checkpoints are aimed at reducing the high crash rates by identifying impaired drivers. The goal of this checkpoint is to encourage compliance with the alcohol-related statutes of this state by removing the drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Each year, about 16,000 persons are killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes, averaging one alcohol-related fatality every 33 minutes. These deaths constitute approximately 38 percent of the total traffic fatalities.

Traffic crashes are the greatest single cause of death for every age from 6 through 28. Almost half of these are alcohol-related. The proportion of fatal crashes that are alcohol related is about three times greater at night than during the day.

A public opinion survey (MADD 2004) showed that 87 percent of Americans support the use of checkpoints to check for drivers who have been drinking. Checkpoints are an effective tool to combat the impaired driving problem and an effective way to check for and promote safety belt and child restraint use.

We appreciate the patience and cooperation from all citizens involved with the checkpoint.

For more information, please contact Trooper Jeff Scott or Lt. Chuck Yokley at Kansas Highway Patrol, Troop H Headquarters, 301 W. 14th Street Chanute, KS 66720 or phone at (620) 431-2100.