The La Porte Police Department announced today the completion of increased enforcement during the 2015 Thanksgiving holiday travel period. During the 24 day enforcement period in which officers worked 121 hours of overtime devoted entirely to traffic patrols, 98 citations and 260 warnings were written and two arrests were made for driving while intoxicated within the City of La Porte by officers working these special patrols.
“Driving sober and wearing your seatbelt are keys to safe driving,” said Captain Tom Heath “Even beyond the holiday travel season, we will continue to spread awareness on the ways in which we can prevent accident, injury, and death on our Indiana roadways.”
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 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.
To learn more about the La Porte Police Department, please visit: http://www.lpcitypd.com/