 The intensified enforcement effort against the overwhelming number
of late-night impaired drivers and unbelted motorists underscores
the disproportionate number of traffic deaths occurring during
late-night hours in Illinois.According to data from the Illinois
Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, the deadliest time for alcohol-involved motor
vehicle crashes during the summer months in Illinois is late at
night. In the last five years, during the summer months of June
through August in Illinois, 149 of the 253 fatalities occurring
between midnight and 3 a.m. involved a drinking driver.
"The nighttime is the critical time for motor vehicle fatalities,
so we will be stepping up our late-night enforcement efforts, making
sure impaired drivers are off the road and motorists are buckled
up," said Chief Ken Greenslate.
Lincoln Police Department recommends designating a sober driver
and not letting friends and family drive impaired as just two of
several simple steps to avoid a tragic crash or an arrest for
impaired driving. Other important tips:
-
Plan ahead.
Designate a sober driver before going out and give that person
your keys.
-
If you are
impaired, call a taxi, or call a sober friend or family member
to get you home safely.
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-
Promptly report
impaired drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement by
pulling over and dialing 911.
-
Make sure everyone in your vehicle
wears their safety belt. It is your best defense against an
impaired driver.
The law enforcement crackdown is funded by federal traffic safety
funds through IDOT's Division of Traffic Safety and it runs
concurrently with a media campaign that will remind motorists, "You
Drink & Drive. You Lose." For more information, visit
http://drivesoberillinois.org/.
[Text from file received from
the Lincoln
Police Department]
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