INDIANAPOLIS — We have a busy holiday weekend ahead. As Hoosiers prepare to kick back and enjoy getting from point A to point B, safety is top priority.
State police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving of Indiana (MADD) are about safe roads for the Fourth of July.
"I have three kids myself. I have one who is 16 and just got his driver's license at the end of May," Kylee Jones, victim service specialist for MADD, said. "My why? I don't want officers to show up at my house and tell me that my son or my kids have been killed by a substance-impaired driver."
Denise Niblick, program manager and victim advocate for MADD of Indiana, shares how her life has been forever changed by the actions of someone driving under the influence.
"I lost my sister, Lisa Stre, to an underage 19-year-old drunk and drugged driver, April 6, 2016," Nilblick said. "There is for sure not a day that goes by that I don't miss my sister and think about the potential that I would have had with her in her life. That is my why behind working with MADD."
MADD is working around the clock to save more lives from impaired and reckless driving. Advocates hope that if people do choose to drink, they also choose not to get behind the wheel.
"One thing that is a stigma with MADD is that we are against drinking, and we're not against drinking. We are against getting behind a vehicle and driving," Jones said.
This Fourth of July weekend, Indiana State Police said there will be 60 troopers and 9 supervisors assigned to road patrol in the Indianapolis district.
"Trying to make sure that everybody who's traveling can do so safely, and those who choose to drive recklessly have consequences for that," Sgt. John Perrine, with ISP, said.
In 2024, there were more than 14,000 crashes on Indianapolis area highways, with at least 50 resulting in fatalities.
"I think anytime you get an increase in traffic, like we do around the holidays, naturally, we get an increase in crashes," Perrine said.
Perrine said that while you cannot control the actions of other drivers, there are things you can do to protect yourself on the road.
"If everybody drives safely, puts on their seatbelt, you're more likely to arrive at your destination safely. However, a lot of these gatherings and events that people are attending include the consumption of alcohol. And so, the number one thing if you're going to consume any alcohol at all, is to make sure you have a safe way home," Perrine said.
Jones encourages those who plan to drink to make a plan to get home.
"That means designating a designated driver in your friend group or with family members. Use Ubers, Lyfts, we know that those are just a, they're on an app or they're a phone call away, a click away,” Jones said.
Niblick says the decision to get behind the wheel impaired can change someone's life forever, and hopes that one day, no one will drive impaired.
"One of the most important messages that we want to spread is to bring a complete end to impaired driving. We want to make sure that no family is impacted in this way by these crashes. They're 100% preventable," Niblick said.
