Indiana Law Enforcement Increasing Patrols Thanksgiving Weekend

The Thanksgiving holiday is designed for us to take a step back from the daily grind, take stock in, and appreciate all the good we have in our lives with family and friends. I'll go ahead and assume most, if not all of those get-togethers, will feature a variety of different alcoholic beverages for you to enjoy. Just know that if you decide to get behind the wheel of your car afterward, Indiana law enforcement agencies are going to be looking for you.

I'll admit that I plan to knock back a few beers or mixed drinks at the various family gatherings I'll be attending over the weekend. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that unless you plan on getting behind the wheel and driving home when you're done. That's when what was a fun night enjoying the company of your friends and/or family could turn into something more serious, and definitely no fun. While I'd like to think most of us will have a plan in place to get home safely once the parties are over, I know there will be people on the roads who thought they'd "be fine" to drive home. Fortunately, the Indiana State Police (ISP) will also be on the roads over the weekend to get those who think they're "fine" off of them.

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The ISP recently announced they will be joining law enforcement agencies across the Hoosier State this weekend to increase patrols and look for drivers who are clearly having a hard time keeping their vehicles between the lines of the road.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),

...impaired driving and fatal crashes spike during the Thanksgiving holiday. In 2021, 190 people throughout the nation died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the holiday travel period ranging from the day before Thanksgiving to the Monday following Thanksgiving.

Options for Getting Home Safely

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The easiest thing is to pick a designated driver before the first drink hits your lips. This could be a friend or family member who doesn't drink (for me and my wife, that's our 17-year-old daughter), or is willing to "take one for the team." Other options include booking an Uber or Lyft, both of which are available in most counties across the state, or calling a taxi to get you home.

[Source: Indiana State Police / NHTSA]

Best Looking State Patrol Cars In (Almost) Every State

For the past 10 years, the American Association of State Troopers has held a contest to determine which state has the best looking patrol cruiser. Nearly every state police agency submits their best photo of their sharpest patrol vehicle a chance to win the coveted cover photo on the association's annual calendar. From cop cars rushing through blizzards to vehicles on the Grand Ole Opry stage, here are this year's nominees.

Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli