Indiana State Police adding additional patrols for Thanksgiving weekend

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - This weekend thousands of Americans will travel for Thanksgiving, and this year drivers will outnumber flyers.

A study done by trip advisor says that an estimated 58% of travelers will hit the road for their holiday getaway, compared to 35% who will fly home for the weekend.

Indiana State Police say they’ll be out in force as part of Operation Care. The federally funded initiative will put 150 extra troopers on the highways during the weekend.

“Last year during the Thanksgiving Holiday Period which runs from Wednesday through Sunday that right here in the state of Indiana we had over 2,500 crashes and unfortunately 12 of those were fatal,” said Sgt. Todd Ringle with the Indiana State Police.

Sgt. Ringle says that troopers will be cracking down on three major problems they see every year.

“Distracted Driving continues to be a major problem on our highways if we could get everyone to put our phones down,” Sgt. Ringle said.

On a similar note, Ringle said that fatigued drivers are also a danger to everyone on the road.

“We know that a lot of people will be driving a long distance to be with their loved ones. We want everyone to be well-rested,” said Sgt. Ringle.

ISP will also be looking for impaired or drunk drivers.

“There’s nothing wrong with drinking some beers or a glass of wine, but we want you to have a plan,” said Sgt. Ringle. “If you’re going to consume alcohol make sure that you have a safe plan to get you and your family home safely.”

That trip advisor study says that most Americans will wait to travel either the day before or the day of Thanksgiving.

Copyright 2019 WFIE. All rights reserved.