Law enforcement kicks off Click It or Ticket campaign to help save
lives in Illinois
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[May 18, 2012]
SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Department
of Transportation and Illinois State Police have announced their
plans to heighten enforcement efforts leading up to and through the
Memorial Day holiday weekend. Hundreds more safety belt enforcement
zones and other patrols are planned over the holiday weekend, which
has a history of heavy travel. In addition, IDOT launched a new
Click It or Ticket public service announcement to further remind
motorists of the importance of buckling up.
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"IDOT consistently and proactively wants all motorists to be
well-informed of safe driving practices, including always driving
sober and buckling up every trip, every time and in every seat,"
said Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider. "Even with
last year's front-seat all-time safety belt usage record near 93
percent, our long-standing partnership with law enforcement further
solidifies the crystal-clear message to motorists to Click It or
Ticket both day and night."The increase in enforcement has one
goal -- to save lives during the Memorial Day weekend. Over the past
three years, Illinois has seen record lows with regard to
vehicle-related fatalities. Enforcement will place a special focus
on nighttime activities. Data continues to show that nighttime, from
midnight to 6 a.m., is a particularly dangerous time to be on
Illinois roadways, with more instances of alcohol-related crashes
and safety belts less likely to be used. Law enforcement also will
pay particular attention to enforcing the new safety belt law that
requires all occupants to buckle up, no matter their seating
position.
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"Illinois State Police are urging the motoring public to buckle
up and drive responsibly when traveling during the busy summer
holiday season," said ISP Director Hiram Grau. "Every second counts
when it comes to road safety, and our officers will be enforcing all
traffic laws and reminding motorists that seat belts save lives."
The Illinois State Police, the Illinois Secretary of State
Police, and more than 500 county and local law enforcement agencies
will provide additional patrols for safety belt use and impaired
driving during the two-week mobilization period, which began on May
11. In addition, nearly 1,200 safety belt enforcement zones and
1,000 safety belt and impaired-driving saturation patrols are
anticipated in this time period. Fifty percent or more of these
patrols will occur during late-night hours: 11 p.m.-6 a.m. The
mobilization also includes enforcement related to impaired driving,
with more than 50 roadside safety checks.
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Illinois has an excellent overall safety belt usage rate of 92.9
percent, but reaching that last 7.1 percent is a difficult task. In
an effort to capture the attention of the intended demographic,
males 18-34, IDOT has partnered with marketing firm Arthur Agency to
develop an innovative and unique commercial. This year's PSA
features the positive effect of being buckled up and the negative
effect of an unbuckled backseat occupant.
"Arthur Agency is happy to again partner with Flowers
Communications Group to produce the 2012 Click It or Ticket campaign
for the Illinois Department of Transportation," said Dennis Poshard,
president of Arthur Agency. "We feel strongly that this year's spots
are what's needed to reach our target audience of 18-34-year-old
males. We hope the message helps prevent traffic fatalities."
For more information about IDOT's Click It or Ticket campaign, 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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