March Impaired and Aggressive Driving Enforcement Blitz

During a news conference earlier today, representatives of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Traffic Safety Partnership (which includes the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and the Evansville Police Department) along with the Indiana State Police announced details about and answered questions related to the upcoming statewide March Impaired Driving Enforcement Blitz. This high-visibility enforcement effort, also known as Operation Pull Over Blitz #78, will run from Friday, February 28 through Sunday, March 23. The increased enforcement effort will encompass St. Patrick’s Day and many March sporting events.

This impaired driving and aggressive driving enforcement campaign will consist of saturation patrols and may include a DUI checkpoint as part of a comprehensive effort to promote safe driving behavior and curb drunk driving. Anyone found to be driving impaired will be arrested.

In March of 2012, there were 427 alcohol-related crashes across Indiana resulting in 142 injuries and 15 fatalities. During March of 2013, in the Evansville-Vanderburgh County area alone, there were five (5) impaired driving related crashes that resulted in injuries.

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 motorist who is operating in an unsafe manner or you suspect of driving while impaired, please call 911 immediately. Be prepared to report the location, description, and direction the vehicle is traveling.

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).

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