Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. That’s the important reminder coming from local police departments with two of the heaviest drinking events of the year around the corner: St. Patrick’s Day and the NCAA tournament.
All throughout March, officers will be conducting overtime patrols and sobriety checkpoints to prevent dangerous and impaired driving. This is part of a statewide enforcement campaign, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
According to ICJI, in March of 2019, there were 433 alcohol-related crashes across Indiana, resulting in 205 injuries and five fatalities. Of those, 65 crashes and one fatality occurred during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday weekend alone.
Impaired driving isn’t the only risk on the road in March, according to ICJI. Dangerous driving, which includes factors such as speeding too fast for weather conditions and aggressive driving, is also a concern and something police officers will be watching for throughout the mobilization.
The following list includes several safety tips to prevent impaired driving this March.
• Before the celebration begins, plan a safe way home.
• Never drive impaired.
• Remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.
• If you do drink, use a taxi, public transportation, ridesharing service or designate a sober friend or family member, and give them your keys.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, call 911.
• If you know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help make arrangements to get them home safely.
