Joe Hornaday
This month, the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department is joining the Indiana State Police Versailles District in participating in the Operation Pullover Blitz 62.
The Indiana State Police, along with more than 250 other law enforcement agencies around the state will focus their enforcement efforts on impaired and dangerous driving. The blitz begins today and will continue through Sunday, March 21.
The Operation Pullover Blitz 62 is a statewide enforcement effort supported by federal funding allocated from the Traffic Safety Division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) which will allow troopers to work overtime to provide extra patrols during this dangerous time of year.
Saturation patrols, sobriety check points, and other high visibility enforcement activities will be utilized to identify impaired motorists. These patrols will also focus on aggressive driving behavior, during the 17-day mobilization, which leads to crashes as well as strict enforcement on passenger restraint violations.
This enforcement blitz is scheduled to coincide with Hoosier basketball tournaments and the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, according to information supplied by DCSD Sgt. Rob Duckworth and the ISP. During March of 2009, there were 41 fatalities on Indiana roadways. Twenty-four percent of these deaths involved a driver that was legally intoxicated. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008, there were 134 traffic-related fatalities nationwide on St. Patrick’s Day alone.
The Indiana State Police offer the following tips: designate a sober driver and give that person the keys before the festivities begin; if residents do become impaired, use a taxi, call a friend or use public transportation to get home safely; call 911 immediately if citizens see an impaired driver on the road; and if residents know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make arrangements to get home safely. More information on how to stay safe and keep friends and family secure can be obtained at www.stopimpaireddriving.org.
Since this enforcement blitz is scheduled to begin March 5, the merging of the Indiana State Police Versailles and Seymour Districts will have already been in effect. The Versailles District will include Decatur, Bartholomew, Dearborn, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley and Switzerland Counties.
