The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety begins its annual Youth Alcohol Enforcement Campaign Thursday. 

According to the Coalition, in 2016, 201 people were killed and 652 were seriously injured in crashes involving a substance-impaired driver.

The Coalition will use the campaign time through May 15th to encourage Missouri’s youth to be smart, brave and be a good friend by not letting anyone drink and drive.

Sgt. Larry Stobbs with the St. Joseph Police Department works with the Underage Drinking Task Force. Sgt. Stobbs said in 2011, in the 20 counties of the Missouri Department of Transportation Region 1 in Northwest Missouri, there were 43 traffic fatalities, 15 of those were people under 21 and seven of those 15 were alcohol related.  

With prom and graduation season underway, Sgt. Stobbs, along with the Coalition for Roadway Safety, encourages students to not drink and drive. 

“It should be the happiest time of the year. Law enforcement and the community doesn’t want this to be that tragic time of the year because some underage person went out and drank alcohol and got behind the wheel,” Stobbs said. “If we can do anything to keep that from happening, so much the better, but we don’t want to lose another young person in particular up here in northwest Missouri because of drinking and driving. So if you’re going to go out and you make a foolish decision, call mom or dad, call a sober friend, call a cab, somebody to come pick you up, just stay away from the vehicle.” 

An all-night lock-in event through the St. Joseph Youth Alliance will be held on May 14th at the East Hills Mall for graduating seniors in the St. Joseph School District area. It will offer games, prizes, food and a safe place for seniors to celebrate. For more information, contact the St. Joseph Youth Alliance at (816) 232-0050.

For more information on the Youth Alcohol Enforcement Campaign, click here.