SPRINGFIELD, IL - The Illinois State Police (ISP) announced today an increase in enforcement activities during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend beginning Wednesday, November 21. ISP officers will conduct various patrol details through midnight, Sunday, November 25, including roadside safety checks, air speed details, aggressive driving patrols, and lidar speed checks.
"These details will concentrate on motorists who choose to drive while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, drive aggressively, and fail to wear their seat belts," said ISP Director Sam W. Nolen. "Our increased presence on the highways will serve as a reminder to motorists to obey all traffic laws. The message is simple. Troopers will take a zero tolerance approach to impaired and aggressive drivers and seat belt violators."
During last year’s five-day Thanksgiving enforcement period, 31 people lost their lives on Illinois roadways as a result of 26 fatal crashes. Half of those involved alcohol. Nolen emphasized the importance of seat belts and child safety seats when traveling this holiday. "An individual’s risk of dying in a crash is cut almost in half when they are properly restrained, and by placing a child in an age-appropriate safety seat, their risk of dying is reduced by as much as two-thirds."
The enforcement details coincide with the National Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E.), Operation ABC (America Buckles Children) Mobilization, and Click It or Ticket campaigns. |
