INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana State Police say they're seeing an alarming rise in the number of people driving under the influence.
It's a problem that can have devastating consequences.
ISP numbers show the major spike in cases they are seeing just with their agency.
In 2022, ISP investigated 2,787 DUI cases statewide. As of Sept. 8, 2023, they had investigated 2,737 OWI cases.
- 2023: 2,737 OWI cases (as of Sept. 8)
- 2022: 2,686 OWI cases
- 2021: 2,787 OWI cases
- 2020: 2,794 OWI cases
- 2019: 1,920 OWI cases
Police say Thomas Brown was killed back a suspected drunk driver in March 2022.
“It’s taking me a lot to do this. I don’t really have the words to say — just don’t drink and drive,” Latoya Akande, Brown’s mom, said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), around 37 people in the United States die in drunk driving crashes every day.
“He took my son’s life away from him and everyone that loved him,” Akande said.
Court documents show the man accused of hitting and killing Brown’s BAC was .146 — the legal limit it .08.
“You should never get in a car drunk. You could easily take someone’s life in the blink of an eye,” Akande said.
