Indianapolis, Ind. (March 4, 2016) – March is a month full of events oftentimes associated with alcohol, such as St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness.
Police departments statewide are starting special patrols Friday, specifically looking for aggressive and drunk drivers.
Five people were killed and more than 200 people were hurt in alcohol-related crashes in March 2015.
Pam Kelshaw’s life was turned upside down by a drunk driver 14 years ago.
“My husband, my son and my daughter were all coming home from a shopping trip and I was at work,” said Kelshaw. “They were in Noblesville, right by Noblesville High School, and a drunk driver ran the stop sign and hit them from behind. He was traveling at a 115 to 120 miles an hour in a 30 mile an hour school zone. My daughter was killed instantly. My son was not physically injured, but he lives with the mental part of it.”
Kelshaw thought it would never happen again to her family.
But in April 2014, her nephew was killed in Madison County when an off-duty police officer hit his car.
Jesse Sperry’s pregnant wife was hurt.
The officer told police he took prescription drugs. He pleaded guilty to reckless homicide.
“That used to be my thing, you know? You hear it on TV, I heard it on the news and I was like, that poor family. When it happened to me, I realized that it happens to everybody. It doesn’t just have to be the people who are out there doing the drinking and driving that are injured and killed, it’s actually other people that are injured and killed.”
“When holidays come around, we don’t go out, we stay at home. Our lives are completely changed and we’ll never be the same again.”
“One thing I’d like to ask is for everybody to think about your neighbors, your family, would you want to live with the thought that you’ve cost somebody else grief of a lost loved one because you’ve made the choice to drink and drive? We don’t want any more victims. No more people getting injured or killed and having to suffer the way my family has for 14 years now, and will the rest of our lives.”
The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute March Enforcement Campaign ends March 27.
The Indiana State Police and more than 250 other Indiana law enforcement agencies are involved. ISP will have more than 150 troopers working overtime looking for aggressive or impaired drivers.