Press Release Date:
December 18, 2002
|| Archived December 26, 2002
SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois State Police (ISP) will join law enforcement agencies across the country during the National Lifesavers Mobilization Weekend, December 20 - 22. Launched in December 1999, the campaign, part of the National “You Drink & Drive. You Lose” effort, is a partnership of criminal justice and traffic safety groups in all 50 states committed to reducing deaths from impaired driving.
“Our goal this holiday season is to save lives by stopping impaired driving in its tracks,” said ISP Director Sam W. Nolen. “Alcohol related crashes claim far too many lives each year. All of us, not just law enforcement, have a responsibility to do all we can to reduce such deaths.”
Last year 620 alcohol related traffic deaths occurred in our state -- 44 percent of the total number of traffic deaths. During the 2001 Lifesavers Weekend, 11 lives were lost on Illinois roadways.
“Drivers should remember that impairment starts with the first drink,” said Nolen. “If you drink, don’t drive. Call a taxi, designate a sober driver, or plan on spending the night wherever you choose to celebrate. Remember –“You Drink & Drive. You Lose.”
