ELKHART —
The Indiana State Police, in a cooperative effort with Elkhart County and local police forces, announced this week they are stepping up efforts to combat distractive driving.
The Indiana State Police, Elkhart County Sheriff’s office and the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office launched a traffic fatal initiative, said Lt. Jim Strong, commander of the Indiana State Police Bremen Post.
According to Strong, as of June 25 there have been 11 fatal car accidents resulting in 13 deaths.
Strong said after investigating the crashes and their causes, the initiative will focus on certain offenses that have caused a number of the fatal accidents, including unsafe speed, following too close, driving left of center, alcohol as a contributing factor, unsafe lane movement and failure to yield.
“What we’re realizing,” Strong said, “is basically it all comes down to texting and driver distraction.”
Strong said the departments will be using “saturation patrols” using airplanes, helicopters, undercover patrol vehicles and unmarked patrol vehicles from all agencies.
“All agencies are working together to reduce the number of overall crashes, especially fatals,” he said.
Strong cited the direct relationship between citations issued and the reduction in the number of crashes, according to data gathered by the state police and county sheriff’s department since 2008.
“We want everyone to know,” Strong said, “the vehicle next to you may be a police vehicle looking for drivers that are texting or distracted.”
Strong said the increase in accident data over the past two decades allows police to find relating factors in deadly accidents and patrol areas that the data shows have a high number of accidents.
“When the state police came to us and said they would be in Elkhart County, increasing their patrols, the sheriff’s department was really happy to hear that,” said Elkhart County Undersheriff Sean Holmes. “So, we could double our efforts and reduce the number of not only fatalities, but overall crashes; personal injury and property damage.”
According to Holmes, the Elkhart County Traffic Safety Partnership, which is composed of local law enforcement agencies working with the Governor’s Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving, will be doing most of the patrols and work with the state police.
The local police departments involved include Bristol, Millersburg, Nappanee, Wakarusa, Goshen and Elkhart city, as well as the county department.
Holmes said the partnership has received a dangerous driving grant, which is focused on texting and distracted driving, and will be using that money to increase the patrols.
Holmes said undercover cars will be working with regular marked and uniformed officers to look for distracted driver infractions and pull them over.
“The stats show that increased enforcement ... reduces crashes,” Holmes said. “It’s a known fact.”
Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis Hill said he supports the initiative and its aim to reduce the number of crashes.
“If it saves one life,” Hill said, “it’s certainly worthwhile.”
Hill said the purpose is not to simply write tickets, but to increase public safety.
“(Police) would rather not have to write the tickets,” Hill said, “but they will write the tickets in order to save lives.”
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