(KNZA)--Law enforcement agencies in Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri, along with three other states, are planning a major enforcement campaign this weekend, targeted at cracking down on impaired drivers.
Locally, the Hiawatha and Horton Police Departments are among law enforcement agencies participating in the annual campaign.
According to a news release from the department, deaths and injuries continue to increase from both alcohol and drug-related impaired drivers, with the weekend selected due to Saturday being April 20, or 4/20, a term used in cannabis culture for consumption of cannabis.
The release says all available officers will be out in force to “remove this danger.” Despite the cannabis focus, officers will issue citations to any individual who refuses to obey the traffic laws, whether it is for driving while impaired, for speeding, texting, or failing to buckle up. If a suspected violator refuses to submit to a blood test, a search warrant may be obtained for that individual’s blood.
According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, there were 287 crashes attributed to illegal drug use in Kansas in 2017. Eighty-three persons lost their lives in these crashes.
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