FRANKFORT, Ky. - 347 DUI arrests in five days. That is a sobering statistic released from Kentucky State Police. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is a national campaign to crack down on driving under the influence and it began August 16.

KSP spokesman Sergeant Josh Lawson said the mission is to save lives. “We aggressively watch for impaired drivers year-round, but when we join this effort with law enforcement agencies across the state it immediately becomes a force-multiplier to make our roads safer.” 

Since the campaign began Lawson says there have been 53 crashes involving impaired drivers.

“It’s unacceptable that in the first five days of the ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ Campaign that there have been that many crashes,” noted Lawson. “With Labor Day soon approaching vacation travel will increase and we must keep these families safe on our roadways.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says there is driving-related fatality tied to alcohol use every 50 minutes across the country. NHTSA also says campaigns like Drive Sober reduce alcohol-related fatalities by as much as 20 percent.

This national DUI crackdown runs through Labor Day Weekend. In addition to statewide DUI enforcement, KSP will conduct safety checkpoints to enforce all traffic laws, with special attention being paid to seatbelt and child seat use, vehicle safety, insurance compliance, registration violations, and speeding.