Massive DUI Enforcement Campaign Set for August 24
MADD Kansas
Volunteers and staff from Mothers Against Drunk Driving will team up with Kansas Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies in Kansas as part of a nationwide impaired-driving crackdown this weekend for “Saturation Saturday.”
MADD will join law enforcement as they step up patrols, conduct sobriety checkpoints and increase public service messaging to remind everyone that if you drive drunk or impaired by other drugs, you will get caught. Approximately 250 law enforcement agencies are participating in Saturation Saturday nationwide.
“Saturation Saturday is intended to overwhelm the nation with the message to never drive impaired, and to show our appreciation for the tough work law enforcement officers do every day to stop the violent, preventable crime of drunk and drug-impaired driving,” said MADD National President Helen Witty. “We know that the days before Labor Day weekend are among the most heavily traveled and can be the most dangerous on our roads for the general public and for law enforcement. We want to stand with them to remind everyone that these waning days of summer are a time for fun, not tragedy.”
MADD’s Saturation Saturday is scheduled to fall right in the middle of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. NHTSA’s $13 million Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, long supported by MADD, helps fund increased drunk driving enforcement and advertising from August 16 through Labor Day.
“We are proud to support our law enforcement heroes on Saturation Saturday and every day. They are our first line of defense against drunk driving, the Number One killer on our roads,” said Lori Marshall, MADD Kansas.
The following law enforcement agencies in Kansas will be participating in Saturation Saturday:
Kansas Highway Patrol
Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office
Reno County Sheriff’s Office Hutchinson Police Department
Garden City Police Department Wichita Police Department
Dodge City Police Department Overland Park Police Department
Olathe Police Department Gardner Police Department
Shawnee Police Department Lawrence Police Department
High-visibility law enforcement, such as sobriety checkpoints, is one of the key elements of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, launched in 2006. MADD advocates for funding for NHTSA’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over events, which occur every year in August and December, and Click It or Ticket in May. The other elements of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving include passing laws to require ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders, support for advanced vehicle technology and taking personal responsibility by using Uber, public transportation, taxi or designating a non-drinking friend or family member if plans include alcohol.
To follow events throughout the day, follow MADD on Twitter at @maddonline or on Facebook at @MADD.Official. Look for the hashtag #SaturationSaturday.
About Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes and prevent underage drinking. MADD has helped to save nearly 380,000 lives, reduce drunk driving deaths by more than 50 percent and promote designating a non-drinking driver. MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® calls for law enforcement support, ignition interlocks for all offenders and advanced vehicle technology. MADD has provided supportive services to nearly one million drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge through local victim advocates and the 24-Hour Victim Help Line 1-877-MADD-HELP. Visit www.madd.org or call 1-877-ASK-MADD.