(Southeastern IN) – While Independence Day will be in the middle of the week this year, law enforcement in Southeastern Indiana will be on the lookout for impaired drivers during the weekend leading up to the holiday.
Several area traffic safety partnerships will take part in the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement blitz to educate motorists about the dangers and consequences of impaired driving.
Between June 30 and July 8, officers will increase patrols with the primary goal of preventing tragedies previously seen around the July 4th holiday.
The extra-high visibility enforcement is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).
About 37 people die in the U.S. in driving crashes every day, which is roughly one person every 39 minutes and more than 13,384 annually, according to NHTSA.
Of the 949 traffic deaths in Indiana last year, 110 – or 12% – were alcohol-related.
ICJI says while that is a decline from 115 in 2021, there is still a long way to go.
During the weekend around Independence Day, there were 11 deadly crashes, including two involving a driver over the legal limit.
In Indiana, it is illegal to drive with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .08 or higher.
In addition, drivers under 21 with a BAC of .02 or higher are subject to fines and a license suspension for up to one year.
Officers will be on the lookout for all forms of impairment, including drugs and over-the-counter medications which can slow coordination, judgment, and reaction times while driving.
Visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving for more information on impaired driving.
