Local agencies patrolling for impaired drivers during holidays

Local police and deputies are stepping up enforcement efforts against impaired and unbuckled drivers through the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Bartholomew County deputies and Columbus police will be taking part in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over national enforcement effort through January 1st. Officers will be showing zero tolerance drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol. They will also be out looking for motorists without their seatbelts.

The patrols are funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through an Indiana Criminal Justice Institute grant.

According to the federal agency, during the Christmas and New Years Day holidays in 2018 alone, there were more drunk-driving-related fatalities than during any other holiday period that year in the U.S. Last December in Indiana, there were 415 alcohol-related crashes, resulting in 105 injuries and 11 fatalities.