State police in Ind., Mich., Ohio, Pa., W.Va. and Ky. team up, issue 2,000 citations for distracted driving

If you're a journalist near an interstate highway in the eastern Great Lakes or Ohio Valley, it might be a good time to look up citations for distracted driving, call some of the alleged violators and do a story. State police in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky teamed up June 16-22 to combat distracted driving, issuing nearly 2,000 citations, reports the Pendleton Gazette, an online publication north of Indianapolis. During the week, 201 collisions due to distracted driving were reported in the six states.

Called the ‘6 State Trooper Project,' the program began in 2012, with states teaming up for campaigns targeting drunk driving and marijuana possession, reports the Gazette. During the campaigns troopers made 582 DUI arrests and seized 210 pounds of marijuana and 14,327 marijuana plants.

Indiana State Police Supt. Doug Carter said, “Any opportunity we have to work with our law-enforcement partners across state lines to reduce crashes and save lives is time well spent. The ISP will continue partnering in this effort and others like it in the future.” The next combined enforcement effort "is scheduled for September and will target marijuana interdiction and criminal patrol," reports the Gazette. (Read more)