Officials encourage you to buckle up, put phones down

Indiana officials are encouraging you to practice safe driving today with the “Buckle Up and Phone Down” Day.

According to INDOT, Wednesday will be dedicated to encouraging motorists to make the roads safer for drivers, passengers and other users on the road.

The agency says almost 900 people died on Indiana roads last year. Statistics show that those not wearing seatbelts account for 45 percent of fatalities in cars. And texting while driving increases the risk of a crash by 50 percent. In 2023, more than 9,000 crashes involved driver inattention or cell phone use.