Indiana police: On day of total solar eclipse, prepare for traffic
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana State Police is trying to prevent the road congestion issue Kentucky saw in 2017 amid a total solar eclipse.
Sgt. John Perrine of the Indiana State Police says when it comes to the eclipse, motorists have two options: plan ahead and be in a safe place in enough time to watch, or safely continue driving during the event.
“If you’re in the car during the eclipse, focus on driving,” Perrine said. “Don’t try to sneak a peak of the eclipse.”
Perrine says the combination of stopped cars on the highway and potentially distracted drivers could be fatal.
“What we’re afraid is people are going to stop on the side of the road, which we don’t want them to do, but if we have people standing alongside the road and if we have people driving distracted, that’s a recipe for disaster,” Perrine said. “It’s illegal to stand or walk on the interstate. It’s just simply not safe to do that for anybody.”
Traffic before the eclipse is not much of a concern because it will be over the course of the day, but, as everyone leaves at the same time, gridlock is a real possibility.
Perrine says the highways would be the best option.
“Oftentimes, that GPS will automatically reroute you to what (it) thinks is a quicker way, but those roads can’t handle that volume of traffic,” Perrine said. “So if everybody’s GPS reroutes them to that detour, now we have thousands upon thousands of people converging on county roads that just can’t handle that traffic.”
There is concern about emergencies that first responders cannot get to, so state police will be placed across the state to help.
“Our troopers will be prepared to, if need be, transport people to the hospital if somebody is having a medical emergency and an ambulance can’t get to them,” Perrine said.
Perrine says total solar eclipse day on April 8, 2024, will be an “all-call,” and almost every state trooper will be on the roads.
Another important safety tip from Indiana State Police: Fill up the gas tank. Motorists never know how long they may be stuck, and should give themselves as much time as possible.