SUBJECT: Project RADE begins June 05, 2015
RELEASE NUMBER: 2015-NR-033
CONTACT: Lieutenant Noah Robinson
AUTHORITY: Sheriff Dave Wedding
Of the thirty-three fatal crashes that have occurred in Vanderburgh County over the last two years, 70 percent took place outside the city limits of Evansville. A joint enforcement effort conducted by the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and the Indiana State Police aims to reduce that number.
Project RADE (Rural Roadway Aggressive Driver Enforcement) will target motorists who flaunt the posted speed limit, disobey traffic signals and drive in a reckless manner.
Sheriff Dave Wedding explained, “While many city streets have a 30 mph speed limit, county maintained roadways are 45 mph unless otherwise posted. County roads have frequent curves, limited shoulders and no lighting.” Sheriff Wedding added, “On a winding and poorly lit county road, the difference between a 30 mph crash and a 45 mph crash can literally be the difference between life and death.”
Sheriff’s deputies along with troopers assigned to the District #35 State Police Post will team up between Friday, June 05 and Saturday, June 27, 2015 to patrol problem locations in the county.
Lieutenant Brian Bailey with the Indiana State Police explained, “This project focuses resources on rural state roads as well as primary and secondary county roadways, where the majority of fatal crashes are occurring. By coordinating our patrols with the Sheriff’s Office, we hope to achieve a more meaningful impact on the local fatality rate.”
Enhanced local enforcement is made possible by funding provided by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Pictured above: Crash on Hogue Road from July of 2014. The driver failed to negotiate a curve and struck a power pole.
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