TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WAWV/WTWO) – Indiana State Police have joined law enforcement officers from six different states to help combat high speeds on major highways.

The Speed Awareness Day Enforcement Campaign will aim to stop increased speeding that police have noticed since the start of the pandemic.

Indiana State Police Public Information Officer Sergeant Matt Ames said there’s been a rise in speed related fatalities over the last couple years.

“In 2020, we worked 238 accidents in the state of Indiana,” Ames said. “The primary cause for those fatal accidents was due to exceeding the posted speed limit.”

Many Wabash Valley residents have noticed a rise in high speeds and distracted driving as well.

“Most people want to get somewhere, get done, and get home,” Terre Haute resident Louis Reeves said. “You’ve also got the people who are still a little bit skittish of still being out, so they are in a hurry to get somewhere.”

“I’ve always noticed a lot of speeding, and a lot of people not really paying attention,” student Nolan White said.

Many ISP speed-related citations are issued on major roadways, interstates, U.S. roads, and state roads. Ames said there will be more patrols in those areas during the campaign.

“We are looking for speeding and aggressive drivers,” Ames said. “Statistics show that a third of all fatal accidents that occur here in the United States are the result of people traveling over the posted speed limit. So we are going to be working with all the other states to be making sure that we are getting people to obey the posted speed limits.”

Sgt. Ames said those who are in a rush to allow themselves extra time to get to their destinations.

“There’s nothing worse for troopers or officers out here than having to go knock on someone’s door and relay bad information to them about a loved one has,” Ames said.

The campaign will be July 27th.