Highway patrol working overtime through Labor Day to catch drunken drivers

The highway patrol will be working overtime in the next two weeks to catch drunken drivers in Kansas, through Labor Day weekend, which traditionally sees a rash of deadly accidents.

The additional efforts of Kansas Highway Patrol troopers, along with some local law enforcement agencies, will be aimed primarily at drunken driving, but all traffic laws will be under extra scrutiny, according to the patrol. From Aug. 15 to Sept. 2, overtime for troopers will be paid for through a Kansas Department of Transportation grant supporting the state’s “You Drink. You Drive. You Lose.” program.

During last year’s Labor Day weekend, the patrol worked four alcohol-related crashes, including one that caused a death. The troopers also responded to three other fatal crashes that led to three deaths, and arrested 39 people for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

People involved in alcohol-related accidents are about four times more likely to be seriously injured or killed than people involved in accidents where alcohol is not a factor, according to KDOT statistics.