Wednesday is Buckle Up Phone Down Day in Indiana

The Indiana Department of Transportation is challenging Hoosiers to buckle up and put their phones down behind the wheel.

Wednesday, Oct. 29, is Buckle Up Phone Down Day, a day dedicated to encouraging motorists to rethink every trip they make or take in a vehicle, with the goal of improving safety for drivers, their passengers, and other road users.

“Nearly 900 people lost their lives on Indiana roadways last year,” said INDOT Commissioner Lyndsay Quist. “Overall, fatalities are decreasing but we’re still seeing higher incidence of injury crashes. As an agency, INDOT is doing what it can to enhance roadway safety through a variety of systemic improvements, but creating change also takes consistent cooperation and behavior modification from members of the traveling public.”

For the third year, INDOT is joining more than two dozen state departments of transportation in a larger movement that focuses on two of the most impactful actions both drivers and passengers can take to prevent crashes – or survive if one occurs – wearing a seatbelt and putting phones and mobile devices away.

While just under seven percent of Indiana drivers don't wear their seatbelts, they account for 45% of passenger car fatalities, and texting while driving increases the risk of a crash by 50%. In 2023, more than 9,000 collisions were reported to involve driver inattention or cell phone use despite Indiana's Hands-Free Law enacted in 2020.

Follow INDOT and other state departments of transportation on social media to participate in Buckle Up Phone Down Day.

Like and share posts, and use the official hashtags, #BUPDDay, #BUPDIN and #BuckeUpPhoneDown to show your support. Drivers can also watch for specialized messages on overhead dynamic message signs on interstate routes across Indiana. 

Buckle Up Phone Down was launched in 2017 by the Missouri Department of Transportation and was adopted by INDOT in 2023. Learn more and take the pledge at BUPDIN.com.