At a news conference held earlier today, the Evansville Police Department and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office announced their participation in the annual nationwide ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ drunk driving enforcement campaign.
Two of the heaviest drinking events of the year are around the corner: St. Patrick’s Day and the NCAA tournament. All throughout March, members of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and Evansville Police Department will be conducting overtime patrols to prevent dangerous, aggressive and impaired driving. This is part of a statewide enforcement campaign, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).
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 (15 percent) and one fatality occurred during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday weekend alone.
If you plan to drink alcohol, please don’t drive. Designate a sober driver beforehand. If you are impaired, use a taxi service or call a sober friend or family member. If you see a motorist who is operating in an unsafe manner or you suspect is driving while impaired, please call 911 immediately. Be prepared to report the location, description, and direction the vehicle is traveling.
Increased enforcement will begin February 28 and continue through March 22, 2020.
