In an effort to make the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday travel period safer, the Indiana State Police has partnered with approximately 250 other law enforcement agencies statewide in participating in the annual Safe Family Travel, Operation Pull Over campaign. The campaign began Nov. 8 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 1.

The Indiana State Police will be conducting high visibility enforcement efforts including sobriety check points and saturation patrols looking for impaired drivers and unrestrained motorists.

To help ensure the safety of all motorists during this holiday period, the Indiana State Police will also be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) from Nov. 27 through Dec. 1. Operation C.A.R.E. is a federally funded program and will allow additional troopers to patrol Hoosier roadways during this upcoming holiday weekend.

According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, in 2012, alcohol-impaired driving in Indiana was linked to 158 fatalities (a 12.9 percent increase from 140 fatalities in 2011) and more than 2,112 injuries. Alcohol-impaired collisions were less than 3 percent of all Indiana crashes, but accounted for 20.3 percent of Indiana’s 779 traffic fatalities in 2012.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, safety belt use is the most effective strategy a person can employ to prevent death and minimize injury resulting from traffic collisions.

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

When planning to travel, make sure you are well rested, as a fatigued driver is a dangerous driver.

• Increase your following distance; remember the two-second rule.
• Decrease your speed according to traffic and road conditions
• Beware of bridges, overpasses and intersections where ice tends to form first in cold inclement weather.
• Don’t use cruise control on slick roads.
• Make sure everyone in your vehicle is properly restrained.
• DON’T BE DISTRACTED-Pull over and stop to use electronic devices.
• DON’T DRIVE IMPAIRED-Have a designated driver.
• MOVE OVER and SLOW DOWN for emergency and highway service vehicles.

The Indiana State Police remain committed to making Hoosier highways safer by reducing crashes, educating the public on the main causes of crashes and patrolling in high crash areas. For more information on Indiana crash statistics please visit the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute’s web site at http://www.in.gov/cji/2572.htm