Local law enforcement targets impaired drivers during Drive Sober campaign
RICHMOND, Ind. — The Wayne County Traffic Safety Partnership will participate in the end-of-summer Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.
Through Labor Day, increased local law enforcement patrols will target drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to a news release. The additional enforcement is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through grants awarded by Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
“We’re asking everyone to have a plan in place if they know they’ll be drinking,” said Sheriff Randy Retter in the release. “Our goal isn’t to take people to jail. It’s to make people think about the choices they’re making and the consequences before they get behind the wheel so that we can prevent a needless tragedy.”
An estimated 9,560 people died in motor vehicle crashes during the first quarter of 2022, according to NHTSA data. That's a 7% increase from 2021 and the highest first-quarter total in 20 years.
Indiana saw a 22.3% first-quarter increase from 2021, with 214 deaths in 2022 compared with 175 in 2021. Ohio's first-quarter deaths dropped 13.4% to 232 from 268.
If Indiana's pace continues, 2022 would be the third consecutive year with an increase in traffic fatalities. There were 931 deaths in 2021 and 897 in 2020.
"People who drive drunk or high aren't thinking about the repercussions," said Devon McDonald, executive director of ICJI. "It's not just their life they're risking, but the life of the person in the car next to them and the pedestrian crossing the street. No one 'accidentally' drives impaired. It's always a choice."
Drunk driving causes about 25% of Indiana's deadly accidents; however, drug impairment is also a growing concern. The number of post-crash blood samples submitted to the Indiana Department of Toxicology last year increased 7% from 2021.
“Since the start of the pandemic, more drivers are testing positive for THC and poly-drug use, a combination of drugs,” said Robert Duckworth, the ICJI's traffic safety director. “We’re working to address that by training more officers in advanced detection techniques and providing new tools to law enforcement, but the best and easiest solution is for people to not drive high in the first place.”
A drunk driving arrest on average costs the offending driver $10,000.
Anyone drinking should have a safety plan in place with a sober driver, public transportation or a ride service. Anyone who's impaired should be stopped from driving.
Motorists are encouraged to report suspected impaired drivers by calling 911.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Local officers target impaired drivers during Drive Sober campaign
