Savvy drivers in Northwest Indiana know about the dangerous stretch of I-65 between Lafayette and Crown Point.

It has been the scene of more than one deadly accident, and there have been many injuries and close calls.

On July 23, five people were killed in a fiery chain-reaction crash on I-65 near near Lafayette.

On July 16, a crash involving injuries occurred near the Kankakee River Bridge.

On June 29, one person and died and two were injured near the Rensselaer/Remington exit on I-65.

On June 23, a crash near the Fair Oaks exit resulted in two injuries.

On June 3, a man was airlifted after an accident four miles south of the DeMotte-Roselawn exit.

And that's just in two months' time. There were other fatal accidents and other crashes earlier this year.

The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to add lanes between Merrillville and Lowell eventually, which will help, but there are other safety improvements that can be done sooner.

The first is as simple as repainting the stripes on the road. Use highly reflective paint, so it can be seen easily when it's dark or foggy. The current stripes are fine in the daytime, but not when visibility is poor.

Special attention must be paid in places where there's a slight rise or bend in the road that are accident-prone. If there's stopped traffic ahead, a chain reaction is much more likely to occur.

That could be eased by placing a warning sign of slow or stopped traffic ahead whenever a crash occurs. Places that see a high number of accidents should be permanently flagged, the same way deer crossing signs alert drivers to potential trouble ahead.

Purdue University is right at the southern end of this dangerous stretch of road. Put its world-renowned engineering talent to use in finding ways to make I-65 safer.

How many more people must die, how many more must be injured, before we improve this stretch of road?

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