PLYMOUTH — The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department announced today the completion of increased enforcement during the 2015 Thanksgiving holiday travel period.

During the 24 day enforcement period, a total of eight officers worked an additional 81 hours of overtime enforcement. During these enforcement hours, the officers focused on seatbelt violations and impaired drivers.

Within the enforcement period, over 80 tickets were written and issued to drivers for various violations. There were also five arrests made for driving while intoxicated within Marshall County.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on average, more than 10,000 people die on U.S. roadways, due to intoxicated driving.

When it comes to buckling up, in 2012 alone, statistics show seat belts saved an estimated 12,174 lives nationwide. In Indiana, in 2014, seat belt usage in passenger cars was 90.2 percent.

“Increasing education and enforcement on such important topics as keeping our roadways safe would not be possible without the dedication of officers across our state working thousands of overtime hours day and night enforcing Indiana traffic laws,” said ICJI Director Dave Murtaugh. “I am grateful these men and women, and for all our partners, who work diligently to keep our communities safe.”

Increased enforcement during the Thanksgiving Holiday period is an annual statewide effort supported by federal highway safety funding. The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute distributes funding to more than 250 participating Indiana law enforcement agencies.