The Wichita Police Department is launching another major traffic safety enforcement initiative in response to the increased risks on the roads this Memorial Day holiday. The initiative will run from May 20 through June 2 with a special emphasis placed on drunk drivers and drivers who fail to buckle up themselves and their children.
During the initiative, Officers will intensify enforcement of adult seat belt laws, child passenger safety laws and drunk driving laws by focusing on designated areas throughout the city of Wichita. Drivers found driving above the legal blood alcohol limit of .08 will be arrested, and drivers failing to buckle up or restrain their child passengers will be ticketed.
A few of the locations in Wichita that will receive enforcement emphasis include North Rock Road, South Rock Road, East Kellogg and the area of Amidon and Broadway, Old Town, and West Central just to name a few.
"We do everything we can to protect families from the unpredictable threat of terrorism and violent crime," said Deputy Chief Tom Stolz, Field Services Division. "But we must continue to address the most predictable and leading risk our families face every day – traffic crashes."
Last year, 31,910 people died in traffic crashes, and more than half of those people were unbuckled. In Wichita alone in 2001 there were 27 fatal accidents resulting in 29 deaths. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death to children, killing nearly 2,000 kids each year. More than half of the children who die in crashes are completely unrestrained. And tragically, nearly half of those kids would be alive today if the adult driver had made sure they were restrained.
This project is funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation under the Special Traffic Enforcement Project Campaign. For additional information please contact Sgt. Jerry Quick 941-0673, Sgt. Don Phelps, 337-9200, Sgt. Rusty Leeds, 688-9500, Sgt. Allen Wolf 688-9331.