Statewide March sobriety checkpoints begin Friday night

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - With March Madness comes a lot of traffic – so more than 250 Indiana law enforcement agencies are planning to launch a major activity of their own.

Starting Friday, Tippecanoe County Traffic Safety Partnership (Lafayette Police Department, West Lafayette PD, Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office and Purdue University PD) will deploy a high-visibility push to cut down on impaired and dangerous driving known as “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

The 16-day-long effort will extend through March 24 - encompassing a number of March sporting events and St. Patrick’s Day.

"This enforcement effort is about showing a strong and visible police presence aimed at deterring dangerous behaviors and getting drunk drivers off the street," Lafayette Police Department (LPD) Traffic Commander and Sgt. Max Smith said.  "Similar to New Year’s, we, Tippecanoe County Traffic Safety Partnership, want Indiana motorists to be fully aware of our increased enforcement so that it will encourage people to designate a sober driver or to make alternate arrangements to get home safely."  

For lots of people in Indiana, the month of March goes hand-in-hand with celebrating Indiana basketball traditions and the St. Patrick's Day holiday. 

However, due to the upped rate of alcohol consumption these events inspire, the month of March can also be a very dangerous time on Indiana roadways.

According to area law enforcement, in 2012 there were 6,264 alcohol-related crashes in Indiana with 97 deaths. During the month of March, there were 524 alcohol-related collisions. Of these collisions, six fatalities were reported.

Just last year on St. Patrick's Day, there were 33 alcohol-related collisions that occurred in the state of Indiana.