Indiana troopers keep drivers safe during Labor Day weekend
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – As the Labor Day weekend wrapped up, Indiana State Police were working hard to make sure everyone makes it back home safely.
Troopers said there are often extra dangers on the road during holiday weekends.
From speeding to unsafe lane changes, distracted and drunk driving … Indiana State Police were watching for it all.
“Any time you add alcohol into the holiday weekend or a volume of cars in general, you always have that risk for increased crashes and problems,” Trooper Wade Heiny said.
He spent his holiday on the road working to prevent those issues.
“Knowing my family travels these roads daily, it just increases my want to be out here and keep the general public safe,” Heiny said.
24-Hour News 8 rode along with him Monday evening. Within minutes, he started spotting violations.
“This vehicle, the Maxima, has touched the dotted three times already, so that could be impaired driving, drunk driving. We just had this Honda pass us at over 70 mph in a 55 zone.”
He said that’s the type of driving that can lead to crashes and that’s the type of driving troopers are working to prevent.
“All the guys that are out here do this for a reason, and that is to keep everybody safe,” Heiny said.
Whether it’s by issuing a warning or citation or simply having a presence on the road, troopers said it’s worth it to spend their holiday behind the wheel.
“We want to enjoy our time with our family just like everybody else wants to enjoy their time with theirs, so one way to do that to impact somebody the quickest is traffic.”
His advice for drivers is simple.
“Just try to follow the law and drive the way you would want others to drive around you. It all comes down to respect,” Heiny said.
As of Monday night, there were no reports of any major issues or crashes in the Indianapolis area during the holiday weekend.
