Families will gather to remember relatives lost in impaired driving crashes

About an hour before sunset Saturday night, victims and survivors of impaired drivers will begin to gather in Kansas City with candles in hand.

In the annual Candlelight Vigil of Hope, hosted by the Heartland Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, many will light candles and say a few things about loved ones they’ve lost. Photographs of people injured or killed in impaired-driving crashes will be included in a presentation Saturday night.

The 6:30 p.m. vigil will be held at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer and Freeman Funeral Home at 10507 Holmes Road in Kansas City.

In July, The Star wrote about the rise in Kansas City of fatalities resulting from impaired driving. Through July 6, there had been 17 fatalities involving impaired drivers compared to 11 for the same period last year.

In addition, there had been a nearly 50 percent increase in all driving-related fatalities in the first half of 2017 versus the same time frame last year.