Sgt Mark Cook TSP Coordinator<\/strong>. \u201cThe holidays shouldn\u2019t be marked by tragedy, so don\u2019t ruin your life or the life of someone else by getting behind the wheel impaired. You will be held accountable if you do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nAccording to NHTSA, drunk driving and fatal crashes spike during the Thanksgiving holiday season. This can be attributed, in part, to cultural phenomena like \u201cBlackout Wednesday\u201d or \u201cDrinksgiving,\u201d an event synonymous with heavy alcohol consumption. This year\u2019s holiday also comes at a time when fatal crashes and dangerous driving are up across the state and nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Indiana, 932 people lost their lives on the road last year, a 4% increase from 2020. Of those fatalities, 12 occurred during the Thanksgiving holiday season, with more than half (7) found unbuckled at the time of the crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On average, approximately one-fourth of the state\u2019s traffic fatalities are caused by drunk drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cImpaired driving is life-threatening, but even more so around the holidays,\u201d said Robert Duckworth, ICJI Traffic Safety Director. \u201cWith so many ride options available, there\u2019s no reason that should be the case. We\u2019re asking everyone to plan accordingly and to make safety a priority. Our goal is zero fatalities this year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With officers on high-alert, motorists are encouraged to plan ahead to get home safely by designating a sober driver or by using public transportation or a ride service like Uber or Lyft. Even if one drink is consumed, never drive impaired or let friends get behind the wheel if they\u2019ve been drinking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also important to wear a seat belt, put away the distractions and follow posted speed limits. Travelers are encouraged to check road conditions before each trip and to leave with plenty of time to reach their destination safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re anticipating a very busy travel season this year, so for those sharing the road, remember to slow down, drive sober and buckle up,\u201d said Devon McDonald, ICJI Executive Director. \u201cMost fatal crashes are avoidable, not inevitable. We want everyone to make it to the Thanksgiving table safely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal in Indiana and all 50 states. Those who choose to drive impaired are not only risking their life and the lives of others, but also could face an arrest, jail time, and substantial fines and attorney fees. The average drunk driving arrest costs up to $10,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Motorists are encouraged to contact the department or call 911 if they encounter an impaired or unsafe driver on the road.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PRESS RELEASE Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year. AAA is predicting 54.6 million<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-9669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wzbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/photoless-header-template-news.jpg?fit=252%2C144&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wzbd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}