[Academy] [Cold Cases] [Commissioner's Office] [Concealed Deadly Weapons] [Contacting the KSP] [Core Values]
[Crime & Traffic Information] [Fallen Trooper Memorial] [FAQs] [Forensic Laboratories] [Forms/Downloads]
[Highway Safety] [History of the KSP] [Home Page] [Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force] [Kentucky's Most Wanted]
[Links to Other Websites] [Missing Children] [News Releases] [Organization] [Post Locations] [Recruitment]
[Sex Offender Registry] [Special Enforcement Troop] [Trooper Island] [Return to Kentucky State Police Main Website]

For other Kentucky Government sites visit: [Kentucky.gov]

Home > Post > Post 1 > Post 1 News Release > News Release

News Release

Friday Night Blue Lights Campaign

Date of News Release: 08/26/2008

(Hickory, KY) - This Friday, the Kentucky State Police will begin an enforcement campaign entitled Friday Night Blue Lights. This traffic safety initiative is geared towards enforcement near high school football venues in the Post One area. In Kentucky, the fall months have the highest number of injuries and fatalities, with Friday night having the greatest amount of collisions. To help reduce this trend, the Kentucky State Police will be stepping up their enforcement efforts on Friday Evenings this fall. Each week, a different high school football game venue will be selected. Troopers will be especially on the lookout for impaired and reckless drivers, speeding violations, and occupant restraint violations. The Kentucky State Police would like to remind all drivers the following facts:

Buckle Up

• Last year, there were 864 fatalities on Kentucky roadways.
• 56% of those fatalities were not wearing a seat belt.
• Kentucky has the fourth lowest rate of seat belt usage among all the states.
• 62% percent of teenage passenger vehicle occupants killed in fatal accidents were not wearing a seat belt.
• Last year, Kentucky had the 10th highest teenage fatality rate in the nation.

Watch Your Speed

• Rural roads account for over 60% of all speed-related crashes.
• On an average in the U.S. 1,000 people are killed every month in speed-related crashes.
• Motorists under the age of 25 receive the highest number of speeding violations than any other age group.
• Fuel consumption by motor-vehicles increases steadily above 45 mph using approximately 50% more fuel traveling at 75 mph than they do at 55 mph.

Drive Sober

• Speeding and Alcohol are clearly a deadly combination. Nationally, last year, 40 percent of drivers under the age of 21 who were involved in fatal crashes also had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher.
• Driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in Kentucky. If you are under the age of 21, it is illegal to drive with a BAC of .02 or greater.
• According to preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2006, 17,602 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes – an average of one every half-hour.
• Last year in Kentucky, there were 28,785 driving under the influence (DUI) arrests.
• In 2007, teen drivers accounted for 564 crashes that involved alcohol. Of those crashes, there were 351 injuries and 12 fatalities.

The Friday Nights Blue Lights campaign will begin this Friday evening in Murray where the Murray Tigers host the Calloway County Lakers. Troopers will conduct traffic enforcement before and after the game. Troopers will also be present during the football game. It is the goal of the Kentucky State Police to reverse the growing trend of traffic collisions on Friday nights. The Friday Nights Blue Lights campaign is another step in the pursuit of highway safety.

Click here for the a list of football games that will be included in this campaign. Click here for the public service announcement that has been provided to each school's principal for dissemination at the conclusion of each school's home football games.

Contact Information for the Kentucky State Police

This page was last modified on:

About this site | Feedback | Privacy | Disclaimer | Individuals with Disabilities
Copyright © 2002-2008 Kentucky State Police, all rights reserved