The holiday season is one of the busiest and riskiest times to be on the road. With more people traveling to see family, celebrating with friends, and packing shopping centers and highways, crash numbers tend to rise. To help keep Hoosiers safe, Indiana has launched its annual holiday traffic-safety enforcement campaign, a coordinated statewide effort designed to reduce preventable drunk driving injuries and fatalities during this high-travel period.
The campaign, led by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), focuses on preventing impaired driving, reducing aggressive driving, and encouraging seat belt use. These may sound like simple steps, but they save lives every year.
What is the Safe Family Travel campaign?
Indiana’s Safe Family Travel campaign runs from late November through the end of December, and it aligns with the peak holiday travel season. During this time, law enforcement agencies across the state participate in stepped-up patrols and targeted enforcement efforts. These efforts send the message that driving impaired or recklessly is never worth the risk. With more cars on the road and holiday distractions at their peak, the stakes are even higher.
Drivers can expect to see:
- More officers on the roads
- Sobriety checkpoints
- Saturation patrols on major highways
- Increased enforcement of speeding, impaired driving, and seat belt violations
Law enforcement will be especially visible in high-traffic areas, interstates, and places known for impaired driving incidents. If you’re driving responsibly, the increased enforcement won’t affect you, but it will make the roads safer for everyone. Officers will be watching for:
- Swerving or inconsistent driving
- Speeding
- Ignoring traffic signals
- Lack of seat belt use
- Signs of intoxication
Why are the holidays especially dangerous for drivers?
Holiday travel brings crowded highways, winter weather, late-night celebrations, and more drivers who choose to get behind the wheel after drinking. Each year, Indiana sees a spike in serious and fatal crashes tied to:
- Impaired driving
- Speeding
- Aggressive or distracted driving
- Failure to wear seat belts
It’s not just statistics; every one of these incidents represents a family whose holidays are changed forever. That’s why the state invests so much effort into prevention, education, and enforcement during this season.
How does alcohol affect driving ability?
Alcohol begins altering the brain long before a person feels noticeably impaired. It affects judgment, coordination, vision, and reaction time, all of which are needed for safe driving. As alcohol moves into the bloodstream, it slows the central nervous system and weakens the brain’s ability to process information quickly. That means even a small amount can change how a person sees the road, interprets what’s happening around them, and reacts to sudden hazards.
These effects grow stronger as Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) increases. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, crash risk rises sharply at a BAC of .08 g/dL, which is why every state makes it illegal to drive at or above that limit. But the danger doesn’t start at the legal threshold. In 2023 alone, more than 2,100 people were killed in crashes where a driver had a BAC between .01 and .07. That's proof that even low levels of alcohol can impair crucial driving skills.
Alcohol impacts driving in the following ways:
- Slows reaction time, making it harder to respond to sudden changes in traffic.
- Weakens muscle coordination, affecting steering, braking, and overall vehicle control.
- Disrupts judgment, increasing risky decisions, and reducing awareness of danger.
- Affects vision, including depth perception, focus, and the ability to track moving objects.
- Reduces concentration and makes multitasking far more difficult.
- Increases the risk of falling asleep behind the wheel.
How can Hoosiers stay safe on the roads this season?
A few small choices can make an enormous difference in staying safe during the holidays. Indiana’s campaign points out simple but meaningful steps to stay safe this holiday season:
- Plan ahead if you plan to drink: Choose a designated driver, call a rideshare, or arrange transportation in advance.
- Buckle up every time: Seat belts remain one of the most effective protections in a crash.
- Stay focused: Put the phone down, avoid multitasking, and keep your attention on the road.
- Obey the speed limit: With winter conditions and heavier traffic, speeding is even more dangerous.
- Speak up: Don’t let friends or family drive impaired. If you see a dangerous driver, call 911.
- Accommodate guests: If you're hosting an event, offer non-alcoholic options and even allow friends or family to spend the night.
Put an experienced legal team on your side
Were you injured by a drunk driver? The legal team at Glaser & Ebbs is here to help you pick up the pieces. Our Indiana car accident lawyers have spent decades standing up for people whose lives were disrupted by reckless, impaired drivers, and they know exactly what it takes to hold those drivers accountable. We dig deep for valuable evidence, deal directly with insurance companies, and make sure your story is heard and your rights are protected from day one.
Reaching out is simple and comes with no risk. We offer free case evaluations to help you get answers, clarity, and guidance before making any decisions. Since we work on a contingency fee basis, you don’t pay anything up front, and we only get paid if we recover compensation on your behalf. With offices in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, and other locations throughout Indiana, we're ready to step in wherever you need help.
Contact us online or call us today to schedule a free case evaluation. We’ll walk you through your potential options, explain what comes next, and start building a path toward the financial recovery you deserve. This holiday season may not have gone the way you planned, but you still have the power to take control of what happens next.
“When my wife had an accident, she went to this firm within the week. They helped immediately, which secured evidence that helped win the case. The lawyer we had is one of the partners. They took a personal close interest in my wife and her welfare throughout the process. We would use this firm again.” - M.H., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐