With St. Patrick's Day and Muncie Gras gatherings quickly approaching and March Madness soon to be in full swing, the month of March marks a dangerous time for motorists across the country.
According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, there were 41 fatalities on Indiana roads in March 2009, 24 percent of which involved drivers who were legally intoxicated. In reaction to startling statistics such as this, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun a nationwide effort to crackdown on dangerous and impaired driving as of March 5.
The effort called Operation Pull Over Biltz involves more than 250 state and local law enforcement agencies including those in Muncie.
Ending Sunday, this 17-day focus on traffic safety will consist of many high-visibility patrol efforts such as sobriety checkpoints and allowing some officers to work over time to help patrol streets more heavily.
Officer Kyle Temple of the Muncie Police Department Traffic Division said he has been responding to fewer wrecks involving drunk drivers and seeing seatbelts being used more regularly in the month of March.
He said the break in winter weather and universities Spring Breaks were reasons for putting an emphasis on traffic safety in March. In 2008, according to the NHTSA, there were 134 crash fatalities on St. Patrick's Day.
Operation Pull Over is not just an initiative to encourage law enforcers to take a hard stand against traffic violations but to push drivers to take an active role in ensuring Indiana roads stay safe.
Ball State freshman and Muncie native Jared Heavenridge said it's unlikely that the effort will have a noticeable effect on the road.
"Even with the police crack down I don't think the way people drive will change much," Heavenridge said. "Traffic in Muncie has always been bad. Sobriety checkpoints may raise drinking and driving awareness, but I can't see the operation making a huge difference."
More Information
Because Hoosiers will be incorporating alcoholic beverages into their March festivities, the ICJI has offered a number of tips for staying safe on Indiana's roadways.
• Designate a sober driver to collect keys at the beginning of parties
• Use a taxi, call a friend or use public transportation in the event of becoming impaired
• Call 911 immediately after spotting an impaired driver behind the wheel
• Help to arrange safe transportation home for impaired party goers
Statistics from 2009
- In 2009, 157 people in Delaware County were killed in an accident involving a driver that had been drinking alcohol
- There were 41 fatalities on Indiana roads in March last year
- This is the 15th year Indiana Law enforcement has participated in Operation Pull Over
- University police gave out 1,128 tickets and 1,355 warnings
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