With the Independence Day weekend expected to be one of the busiest ever on Indiana highways, officials are urging Hoosiers to allow extra travel time and drive safely.
Perhaps nowhere is that advice more important than along a nearly 60-mile stretch of Interstate 70 between the Illinois state line and the Hendricks County line near Plainfield.
That section of highway has seen more than 500 crashes each of the last two years and is on track to approach that figure this year. with at least 238 crashes as of Thursday, according to Indiana State Police at Putnamville, whose troopers patrol the highway.
This year’s count includes a multiple vehicle accident on May 13 just east of Darwin Road that killed four people. One fatal crash occurred during 2016; there were five in 2015.
The Indiana Department of Transportation has suspended all construction activity statewide until early Wednesday but lane closures will remain in place in many areas including I-70 between U.S. 41 and the Indiana 46 interchange.
State Police data show most accidents, however, are not construction related. Only about one in five crashes last year, and one in 10 so far this year, involved construction or related backups.
“The majority of our crashes involve some type of driver error, whether it be speed too fast, following too closely, driver inattention or impairment,” said Sgt. Joe Watts, Indiana State Police public information officer. “We are doing our part by patrolling and being visible, but drivers need to understand the importance of their role: obey traffic laws, buckle up and drive safe and sober.”
Indiana has been recognized for its efforts to make work zones safer, but drivers also play an important role in protecting themselves and others, said Debbie Calder, communications director with the Indiana Department of Transportation’s Crawfordsville district.
“Minimize distractions; the three Cs – cell phones, CDs and coffee – are the primary causes of driver inattention,” Calder said.
She advises motorists to always be watching for reduced speed limits, lane restrictions and narrow driving lanes and to merge gradually.
“If drivers merge safely as soon as they see the signs, traffic will flow more smoothly,” she said. “And slow down. You may encounter slowed or stopped traffic within seconds.”
State troopers will be patrolling the highways through the Independence Day period, both on routine patrol and on federally-funded overtime, Watts said.
In addition to the four-mile stretch of I-70 across the south side of Terre Haute, lane restrictions remain in place through the holiday along a 21-mile stretch of Indiana 37 (Interstate 69 corridor) between Bloomington and Martinsville and on some highways in the Indianapolis, Evansville, Lafayette, Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana areas.