TOPEKA, KAN. – Law enforcement officers in Kansas and Missouri are joining forces later this month for a special, one-day enhanced enforcement period to make Interstate 70 safer for all, Kansas Department of Transportation officials announced.
“Interstate 70 is one of the busiest interstates in the nation, especially when families take to the road on vacation,” said Deb Miller, Kansas Secretary of Transportation. “The Kansas Highway Patrol and county and local law enforcement agencies all along I-70 are taking part in this special effort.”
“Kansas troopers, other officers across the state, and the Kansas Department of Transportation all work every day in an effort to secure safety for all of Kansas’ travelers. This special enforcement enhances our traffic safety mission, and our goal is to reduce deaths and injuries. With I-70 serving as a thoroughfare across the U.S., it’s important we work diligently to keep the highway both safe and crime-free,” Colonel Ernest E. Garcia, Superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol said.
Kansas troopers, county sheriffs’ deputies and local police officers will be on the lookout for drivers and passengers not wearing seat belts, impaired driving, distracted driving, excessive speed, and aggressive driving during a one-day, 24-hour enforcement period near the end of the month in advance of the busy Independence Day travel weekend, Miller said. Additional details will be released by KDOT’s Traffic Safety Section via its Twitter feed, @DriveSafeKansas.
Interstate 70, sometimes called the Main Street of America, carries anywhere from 7,600 vehicles a day near the western border to more than 72,000 in the Kansas City area, according to state travel statistics. In 2009, the latest year for which figures are available, nearly 2,000 crashes occurred on Interstate 70 in Kansas, resulting in 20 fatalities and 579 injuries.
Pete Bodyk, KDOT’s Traffic Safety manager, said the initiative is part of the department’s Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic fatalities.
“Kansas invests millions annually in roadway safety infrastructure and improvements,” Bodyk said. “Special enforcement helps ensure that motorists do their part to make roads in the Sunflower State safer for everyone.”