In an effort to make the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday travel period safer, the Indiana State Police will join approximately 250 other law enforcement agencies statewide in participating in the annual Safe Family Travel campaign. Beginning Friday, November 16th and running through Sunday, December 2nd, the Indiana State Police will conduct high visibility enforcement efforts including sobriety check points and saturation patrols looking for impaired drivers and unrestrained motorists.

In 2011, alcohol-impaired driving in Indiana was linked to 140 fatalities (an increase from 135 fatalities in 2010) and more than 2,000 injuries (a decrease from 2,183 injuries in 2010). Alcohol-impaired collisions were less than 3 percent of all Indiana crashes, but accounted for 19 percent of Indiana’s 749 traffic fatalities in 2011.

To kick off the Safe Family Travel campaign troopers from the Putnamville Post will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed location in Vigo County on this coming Friday, November 16.

Please help do your part to make the Thanksgiving Holiday travel period safe by observing the following safety rules:

• If you are planning to travel make sure you are well rested, a fatigued driver is a dangerous driver.
• Avoid tailgating; remember the two-second rule.
• Make sure everyone is buckled up.
• Put down the electronic devices and drive.
• DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE
• MOVE OVER, SLOW DOWN for emergency and highway service vehicles.