Linton police turning up the heat

With Labor Day weekend just around the corner, the Linton Police Department is turning up the heat on impaired drivers.

The LPD is participating in Indiana's "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest" impaired driving crackdown over 21 days that began Aug. 20 and will continue through Sept. 12.

Chief Troy Jerrell said LPD officers will join more than 250 state and local law enforcement agencies in the crackdown.

Some agencies will conduct high-visibility saturation patrols while others, such as the Indiana State Police, will conduct sobriety checkpoints designed to deter impaired driving and motorcycle riding across the Hoosier state.

"While the nation has seen a decline in the number of impaired driving fatalities, far too many motorists continue to lose their lives as a result of impaired drivers," said Jerrell. "One life lost is too many, so we're asking Linton and Greene County residents to enjoy the end of summer responsibly by designating a sober driver if they plan to consume alcohol."

According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI), more than 8,800 alcohol-related collisions occurred on Indiana's roadways in 2009, resulting in 168 alcohol-related fatalities.

Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that nearly 12,000 people died in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal limit in 2008.

NHTSA data also shows that 32 percent of motor vehicle traffic crash fatalities that occurred nationwide involved a driver or motorcycle rider with a BAC of .08 or above in 2008 -- that's an average of one fatality every 45 minutes.