Law enforcement in five states will be teaming up to catch impaired drivers starting on Sunday.
Starting Sunday, April 18th and continuing through Tuesday, April 20th, police in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska are taking part in a coordinated enforcement effort targeting drugged drivers as part of a campaign dubbed “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DWI.”
Officers say that they’ll be targeting drivers who are under the influence of both illegal and illegal drugs, including OTC medications like cold medicine or sleep aids.
The five state effort will include local police, state troopers, and sheriff’s deputies, who will “stop and arrest anyone they find to be impaired by drugs or alcohol.”
“Operating any kind of vehicle while under the influence of a drug is dangerous and can lead to injury or death on the roadways,” said Colonel Bill Bryant, Arkansas State Police Director and the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative.
“It doesn’t have to be an illegal substance to cause impairment, it can be medicine for a cold or a sleep aid,” Colonel Bryant continued. “Many over the counter and prescribed medications, as well as illegal substances like marijuana or cocaine can lead to impaired driving that will result in a DWI charge against the driver. Our state troopers and law enforcement partners will make no exceptions.”