Indiana State Police say the number of crashes and deaths in rural areas of the state are up. For example, thirteen people have already died in Elkhart County from car crashes this year. Now, State Police are taking action with a plan to increase enforcement.
"That's why I joined the State Police," says Indiana State Police Trooper Roy Cook. "To help people." Trooper Cook has been helping people for more than 24 years. "Keeping them safe is just one aspect of that and keeping them safe on the highways is very important."
Because Trooper Cook says, if the police weren't with you out on the roads, "I think it would be a free-for-all and you would have those individuals that would push the limit even more."
That's what scares him. "I know as an officer and the other officers that I've worked with have been out there stopping people---but yet, the fatalities continue," he says. "It's not easy telling someone that their loved one had just been killed in a traffic accident, so yeah, those things stick in my mind,"
It sticks in the minds of all of every officer--officers who want change. Change they hope to see through a program called Crash Reduction Enforcement. The program isn't new. They did it a few years ago and saw the lowest number of car accident deaths in Indiana history. So what does it mean?
"They've got specific zones and they tell the officers, 'okay, we want you in this area for a certain time period.'" Those zones are areas where a lot of accidents happen. "People will see the amount and at least slow down or start thinking a little bit more about their driving habits." Because Trooper Cook says, they'll be watching, from their patrol cars, unmarked cars, bikes and planes. The rest---is up to you.
ISP think this program can make a big difference, and they have the data to back it up. State police analyzed the number of warning and traffic tickets issued compared to the number of crashes each month from July 2008 to March 2012. What the found was an inverse correlation between the two (see chart to left). When tickets and warning rose, the frequency of crashes dropped. When fewer tickets and warnings were issued, more crashes happened.
"We can only tell people what they should be doing," he says, "and what the law is but, in the end, it's their decision to do it."
If you're wondering whether this new program will cost you, it won't. State Police say the officers are only being given more direction about what do on shift, they're not adding more officers and any areas in the county that need to bring in more officers will dip into grant money.
Crashes compared to contacts (tickets or warnings) issued by police
