Law enforcement officers, agencies honored for impaired-driving enforcement

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety has honored more than 200 law enforcement officers from 175 agencies across the Commonwealth for their efforts to target impaired drivers.

The 2018 Governor’s Impaired Driving Enforcement Awards ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Lexington. Awards were presented to officers with the most impaired-driving arrests in each agency and Highway Safety All-Star awards were presented to the top three in each division.

According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, last year in Kentucky, there were 5,350 crashes related to impaired driving, resulting in 2,781 injuries and 154 fatalities.

The KOHS, Kentucky State Police and local law enforcement agencies are partnering for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over holiday enforcement campaign. Officers will be out Dec. 14, 2018 through Jan. 1, 2019 watching for any moving hazardous violation, with an emphasis on impaired driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds the campaign and states high-visibility enforcement reduces impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent.