Evansville Police Cracking Down on Speeding & Distracted Driving in April Safety Blitz
The Evansville Police Department will be participating in an upcoming traffic safety campaign, and they'll be watching for speeding and distracted driving.
Annual Traffic Safety Campaign
The annual campaign funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and in partnership with the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, will take place April 5 - 19, 2025, and EPD plans to employ additional patrols.
Distracted Driving Resulted in More Than 17,000 Crashes in Indiana in 2024
According to the press release shared online by the EPD, there were more than 17,000 crashes in Indiana last year as the result of distracted driving and speeding, and 230 people died as a result.
...motorists should expect to see an increase in roving and high-visibility patrols.
What Is Distracted Driving?
Cell phones or any other activity that diverts a driver's attention from the roadway is considered risky and puts everyone on the road at risk.
...endangers everyone on the road, from the distracted driver and other drivers to passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Indiana is a 'Hands Free' State
Indiana passed a Hands Free law in 2020 that prohibits holding or using a mobile device while operating a motor vehicle. Just last year, there were 7,684 citations issued in Indiana for violating the hands-free law. An addition 11, 203 warnings were issued. The violation is a Class C infraction punishable with a fine up to $500 and points added to an offender's driver's license.
Speeding is Dangerous, Aggressive, and Can Be Deadly
Likewise, speeding is another dangerous practice. The act is considered by law enforcement to be "aggressive and deadly behavior."
[Speeding] reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object or an unexpected curve. As speed increases, so does the likelihood of a crash and the degree of severity, leading to more severe injuries for the driver, passengers, pedestrians and other road users.