Safety belt use focus of holiday traffic enforcement         

[NOV. 22, 2006]  CHICAGO -- Just days before the Thanksgiving holiday, the Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police, Secretary of State Police, Chicago Police Department and hundreds of other local police agencies in Illinois announced that for a two-week period around the Thanksgiving holiday they are teaming up to crack down on drivers who don't buckle up. Also over the holiday, the Department of Transportation will debut two new public service announcements in its "True Stories" ad campaign.

"We know millions of Americans will be driving this holiday to celebrate with family and friends," said Gov. Rod. R. Blagojevich. "To prevent this family holiday from turning tragic, make sure everyone wears their seat belts. There's no doubt about the fact that seat belts save lives. It's the simplest thing you can do to protect yourself in a car."

Police officers will enforce a "zero-tolerance" approach to drivers who fail to buckle up during the state's latest "Click It or Ticket" campaign, as a total of 204 police and sheriff's departments around the state will set up 1,018 safety belt enforcement zones; these will include 360 nighttime enforcement zones, a first for the state. In addition, state troopers will conduct 55 safety belt enforcement details, and the Secretary of State Police will conduct roving patrols on 31 different routes throughout the state.

Since Blagojevich signed the primary enforcement law in 2003, Illinois has seen a 12 percent increase in safety belt use, reaching a record high of 88 percent this year. In the same period, fatal crashes have declined sharply in Illinois, with the state on pace to have the fewest fatalities since 1924.

"Safety belt use in Illinois has steadily increased since the governor signed the primary enforcement law," said Department of Transportation Secretary Timothy W. Martin. "And this means we're saving lives. We've achieved this progress through a combination of enforcement and education. But we can still do better. The roads are going to be packed with families over the Thanksgiving holidays, and that's why IDOT is working with police across the state to make sure everyone is buckled up and reaches their destination safely."

Illinois State Police Director Larry Trent said, "It's been proven over and over that buckling up saves lives, and that's why our troopers will be out in force over this two-week period taking a zero-tolerance approach to safety belt violators. Either you're wearing your safety belt, or you'll get a ticket."

The Department of Transportation's Division of Traffic Safety is funding the Nov. 20-Dec. 3 mobilization with $1 million to cover overtime for police agencies and $400,000 for a media campaign on TV and radio.

The media campaign will feature two new public service announcements that tell "True Stories" about highway safety.

One tells the story of Dan McGlathery of Wheaton, who was in the habit of not wearing a safety belt until he was cited for not doing so during a Click It or Ticket campaign in May 2005. McGlathery grudgingly started buckling up after that, and it wound up saving his life when he was in a rollover crash in September of 2005.

The second new public service announcement tells the story of Brett Karlin of Long Grove, who was killed in a high-speed crash in July 2004. After his death, Karlin's heart, liver and kidneys were donated to patients in need of organs. As a result of the crash, Karlin's close friends started a foundation called Brakes for Brett. The group's goals are to educate young adults about traffic safety and the importance of organ donation.

The Department of Transportation presented Michael Karlin, Brett's father, with a Safety Partnership Award for his work on behalf of Brakes for Brett.

The new "True Stories" public service announcements will be airing on stations around the state.

[News release from the governor's office]