As many Wichitans celebrate the Christmas holidays this year, local law enforcement agencies will be increasing DUI enforcement measures in an attempt to reduce alcohol-related traffic accidents. Wichita Police will be conducting DUI enforcement check lanes throughout the city during the week of Dec. 13 through Dec. 19 in an attempt to reduce injuries and death from car crashes.
Several area agencies will be assisting with the DUI check lanes and the Wichita Police Department will keep citizen inconvenience at a minimum. Drivers who approach the lane should be prepared to present their driver's license and proof of insurance. Any drivers who cannot produce these items, or who are suspected of driving under the influence, will be asked to pull over into another lane, according to Sergeant Jerry Quick.
The Wichita Police Department will have a supervisor routinely monitoring the length of time it takes a motorist to proceed through the check lane when no violations have been detected. This process should take no more than five minutes.
If police suspect a person of DUI, and he/she refuses to submit to a sobriety test, he/she is subject to having their driver's license suspended for a year. Fines for Driving Under the Influence are progressive for each subsequent conviction and can result in a felony crime and imprisonment. The legal limit in the State of Kansas is .08% Blood Alcohol Content.
From January through November 2001, there have been 11 DUI related fatal car accidents; for the same time period in 2000, there were only three.
A number of area agencies will be assisting WPD with the check lanes including:
- Kansas Highway Patrol
- Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office
- Sedgwick County Emergency Management
- DUI Victims Center
- Salvation Army
The Wichita Police Officers will be paid from funds provided by a Kansas Department of Transportation grant under the "Kansas Clicks STEP Campaign." The STEP Campaign is the state's Special Traffic Enforcement Program. The DUI enforcement is Phase II of the STEP Campaign. Phase I was conducted during Thanksgiving week and focused on seat belt use.
The goal is to reduce accident injuries by increasing awareness, increasing the use of seat belts, and intensifying traffic enforcement of violations such as speeding and driving under the influence.
For more information contact Sgt. Jerry Quick at the Patrol West Bureau (941-0673) or Sgt. Allen Wolf at the Patrol East Bureau (688-9331) or Sgt. Rusty Leeds at the Patrol North Bureau (688-9500) or Sgt. Donnie Phelps at the Patrol South Bureau (337-9200).