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Last updated on Thursday, September 15, 2011
(UNDATED) - On Friday and Saturday, between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., the Indiana State Police conducted a statewide driving under the influence enforcement project.
Enforcement personnel throughout Indiana were assigned to this detail to aggressively seek and arrest impaired drivers.
Impaired driving remains one of America's deadliest problems. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2009, 33,808 people were killed nationally in motor vehicle crashes.
That same year, 10,839 people were killed in crashes that involved a driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. That means every 48 minutes someone died in a crash involving an impaired driver. In Indiana, in 2009, there were a total of 189,676 crashes, 8,855 of them were alcohol related, resulting in 168 deaths.
The purpose of the two-day enforcement campaign was to remove impaired drivers from Indiana roadways before they caused needless pain, suffering, and death to innocent victims. The Indiana State Police is committed to reducing the number of impaired driving crashes.
As of August 1, 2011, the Indiana State Police has made 5,364 impaired driving arrests. In 2010, troopers arrested 9,528 impaired drivers, which were 133 more arrests than in 2009.
Statewide, the two-day enforcement campaign resulted in 363 impaired driving arrests. Troopers also issued 3,330 traffic citations and 6,518 warnings. Officers also made 447 arrests for various criminal violations.
In the Indiana State Police Bloomington District there were 8 impaired driving arrests made. Officers issued 52 traffic citations and 205 written warnings. Troopers also made 46 arrests for various criminal violations.
Motorists are encouraged to report suspected impaired drivers by calling 911. Give a vehicle description, location, and direction of travel. Never follow an impaired driver.
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