The Kentucky State Police Post 16-Henderson wants to remind motorists to celebrate this Fourth of July responsibly!
“This iconic American holiday is often celebrated with family, friends, food, and fireworks, but all too often the festivities turn tragic on our nation’s roadways”, says Trooper Corey King, Public Affairs Officer for the Henderson post. The reality is, this holiday is one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to drunk-driving crashes”, King added.
“Last year during the July 4th holiday period (July 1, 2016 at 6pm – July 5, 2016 at 11:59pm), Kentucky State Police troopers and other Kentucky law enforcement officers arrested 428 drivers for driving under the influence. Ironically, those arrested on Independence Day immediately lost their independence by choosing to drive intoxicated”, King says. Statewide, authorities investigated 71 DUI related crashes and ten fatalities during that same period.
But there is a simple solution to this! Either drive sober or designate a sober driver prior to celebrating.
Our agency will be stepping up patrols to ensure the safety of the motoring public. Troopers and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers will be patrolling all roads and saturating known problematic areas in each of the six counties of the Post 16 District.
The motoring public should expect to see more troopers and officers on the roads as well as encountering various roadway safety checkpoints. An enhanced amount of safety road checks will be conducted this week and running through next week.
KSP utilizes traffic safety checkpoints to promote safety for motorists and to provide a deterrent for those who violate laws contained in the Kentucky Revised Statutes.
The intent of a traffic safety checkpoint is to provide for a high visibility, public safety service, focusing on vehicular equipment deficiencies, confirming appropriate registration/insurance of vehicles and the valid licensing of drivers. Other violations of law and/or other public safety issues that arise will be addressed.
These checkpoints will allow the Kentucky State Police the opportunity to periodically concentrate its efforts in checking for violations of Kentucky traffic and regulatory laws that will ultimately increase the safety of the citizens within the Commonwealth.
For a list of Post 16 road check locations, visit: kentuckystatepolice.org (Note: Locations may change from time-to-time so periodically check our public website at for a current listing.)
The Post 16 district serves the following counties: Henderson, Daviess, Union, McLean, Ohio and Hancock.
Citizens can contribute to highway safety by calling KSP toll-free at: (1-800-222-5555). Citizens can call to confidentially report impaired drivers or any criminal activity. You may also download the free KSP mobile phone app. The app provides quick, direct access to KSP including weather, road and traffic information as well as text, voice and photo tip capabilities to report criminal behavior. The app is available for iPhone, iPad and Android applications and can be easily downloaded free of charge through Apple and Google Play stores.
