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Click It or Ticket: IDOT and Illinois law enforcement ramp up
efforts for Memorial Day weekend
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[May 28, 2010]
CHICAGO -- The Illinois
Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Police have
announced their plans to intensify efforts to reach unbuckled
motorists over the Memorial Day weekend. The current Click It or
Ticket campaign began on May 14, led by the Illinois State Police
and hundreds of local law enforcement agencies from every corner of
the state. Law enforcement is not finished, as there are hundreds
more safety belt enforcement zones and other patrols planned for the
heavily traveled holiday weekend.
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 This final push has one goal -- to save lives during the Memorial
Day weekend, which is noted as one of the deadliest times on
Illinois roads. Last year in Illinois, 30 people died in 17 crashes
during the holiday period (6 p.m. on May 22, 2009, to midnight May
25). This compared with eight people dying during the same time
frame in 2008. Last year’s Memorial Day traffic fatalities are made
even more significant because total fatalities in 2009 reached an
88-year low of 911.The Click It or Ticket campaign has helped
push safety belt use to nearly 92 percent in Illinois, and the
result has been lives saved. Illinois saw a historic low in traffic
fatalities last year, and a safe Memorial Day weekend will help that
number drop even lower in 2010.
"Overall, fewer people are dying on Illinois roadways because
more people are buckling up, and Click It or Ticket is one good
reason for that. It’s simple -- if it takes a ticket to save a life,
then we support it," said Illinois Department of Transportation
Secretary Gary Hannig.
"We are proud to partner with the Illinois Department of
Transportation and law enforcement agencies throughout the state to
prepare the public for the summer driving months," said Jonathon E.
Monken, acting director of the Illinois State Police. "Our priority
is not to see how many tickets can be issued during the campaign.
Our goal is to remind the motoring public that seat belts play a
vital role in saving lives and preventing serious injuries. Ensuring
that people are buckled up is paramount to accomplishing our goal of
fewer fatalities this Memorial Day weekend."
(See table on Illinois Memorial Day weekend
crashes, injuries and fatalities for 2005-2009.)
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Click It or Ticket is administered by the Illinois Department of
Transportation’s Division of Traffic Safety and supported with
federal highway safety dollars made available from the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For more information about
Click It or Ticket in Illinois, go to
www.buckleupillinois.org.
[Text from
Illinois
Department of Transportation file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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Illinois Memorial Day weekend
crashes, injuries, fatalities*
| |
Crash severity |
Individuals |
|
|
Year |
Fatal |
Injury |
Total |
Killed |
Injured |
Average Fatalities/Day |
|
2009 |
17 |
N/A |
N/A |
30 |
N/A |
9.23 |
|
2008 |
7 |
509 |
2,655 |
8 |
726 |
2.46 |
|
2007 |
11 |
537 |
3,040 |
11 |
839 |
3.38 |
|
2006 |
20 |
659 |
3,159 |
20 |
1,004 |
6.15 |
|
2005 |
14 |
635 |
2,930 |
15 |
1,004 |
4.62 |
*Crashes that occurred from 6 p.m. on Friday before Memorial Day to
midnight of Memorial Day
[Table copied from Illinois
Department of Transportation file] |
