The Johnson County Law Enforcement Coalition this month is joining about 230 law-enforcement agencies across the state in increasing patrols to curb drunk driving.
Through Labor Day, local police will work overtime to arrest impaired drivers as part of the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign. Drivers can expect to see increased sobriety checkpoints, roving patrols and saturation patrols, according to a coalition news release.Â
In every state, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. In Indiana, drivers under 21 with a BAC of .02 or higher are also subject to fines and a license suspension for up to a year.
The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute also recently equipped more officers with technology that can be used to evaluate impaired drivers, according to the news release. This includes new portable breath tests, speed-measurement devices and Android tablets that can be used to document drugged drivers, the news release said.
Local law enforcement also wants to remind people that there is "no excuse" for driving drunk as there are many alternatives, including designating a sober driver, hailing a cab or rideshare service, offering non-alcoholic beverages at parties or taking the keys from a friend or family member who plans to drive drunk, according to the news release.Â
Those who suspect someone is driving drunk should call 911. Signs of impaired driving include vehicles weaving between lanes, driving slowly, braking erratically, closely missing an object or another vehicle, and driving on the wrong side of the road, the news release said.Â
