Beginning Friday, March 8, The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office will deploy a high-visibility crackdown on impaired and dangerous driving known as Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. The 16-day effort will continue through March 24 – encompassing a number of March sporting events and the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.
Last year, there were 6,264 alcohol-related collisions in Indiana with 97 fatalities. During the month of March, there were 524 alcohol-related collisions. Of these collisions, six fatalities were reported. Just last year on St. Patrick’s Day, there were 33 alcohol-related collisions that occurred in the state of Indiana.
In support of this year’s crackdown, the Sheriff’s Office along with the Evansville Police Department and the Indiana State Police will employ high-visibility efforts that consist of sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and other methods designed to detect impaired drivers. This weekend’s checkpoint will run from 11:30 p.m. until 2:30 a.m.
The Sheriff’s Office recommends the following easy steps to have a safe and happy March and St. Patrick’s Day:
 Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.
 Before drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
 If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation to get home safely.
 If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact 911.
 And remember, if you know someone who is about to drive a car or ride a motorcycle while impaired, take the keys and help that person make other arrangements to get to where he or she is going safely.
