ILLINOIS STATE POLICE
Hiram Grau - Director
NEWS
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT |
| Date: August 30, 2012 | Trooper Mike Link |
| Time: 8:05 a.m. | 618.346.3524 - Office |
| 618.973.3050 - Cell | |
| mike.link@isp.state.il.us |
Illinois State Police Launch Operation Fatal 4
For Labor Day Holiday Weekend
District 11 to Enforce Speeding, Seatbelt and Distracted Driver Violations
COLLINSVILLE – Illinois State Police (ISP) statewide are reminding motorists to make safety their number one priority while driving during the Labor Day holiday weekend. The Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest driving periods. According to AAA, 28.2 million people will make their Labor Day holiday journey by automobile.
Law Enforcement officials will push for ZERO fatalities by enforcing the four most common traffic violations: Speeding; DUI; failure to wear seat belts; and distracted driving. Troopers will saturate the expressways and roadways looking for violators. “I don’t care if you’re going across town or across the country, you should be able to arrive at your destination without any concern,” stated Captain Brad Parsons, District 11 Commander. “We’ll be doing our part to get you there safely,” he continued.
ISP officials will also be working closely with the Statewide Terrorism Intelligence Center (STIC) monitoring intelligence and special alerts looking for suspicious vehicles and criminal activity crossing state lines.
“Criminals don’t take holidays and they use the same roadways that we all use,” stated Captain Parsons. “Troopers will be vigilant this holiday weekend. Not only will we be watchful for traffic violations, we will be looking for criminal activity as well,” he continued.
In addition to enforcement messages and public awareness safety campaigns, districts statewide are also working with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to ensure that highways are safe and clear of road distractions that can impede or impact safe driving and roadway safety.
Officials added that Alcohol Counter Enforcement (Ace) patrols and roadside safety checks have already been deployed leading up to the holiday weekend. These patrols will continue throughout the holiday weekend. Troopers will also be equipped with radar and LIDAR devices to monitor motorists exceeding the legal speed limits.
The most common offenses include speeding, DUI, and seatbelt violations. Last year, the Illinois State Police issued 2,536 tickets for speeding violations during the four-day holiday period from Friday through Monday. During the same time period, there were 69 DUI arrests; 740 seatbelt violations; and 40 distracted driver violations. “Drivers who choose to violate the law face fines and possible jail time,” said ISP Colonel Donald
Buckley. “Since 2007, Troopers have been enforcing the Fatal 4 mission and have been striving to reduce the number of fatalities to zero,” he said.
“Not only do I want fatalities to be zero this holiday weekend, I would like injuries from traffic crashes to be zero as well,” stated Captain Parsons.
The ISP is responsible for the public safety of the citizens of Illinois and patrol more than 20,000 miles of the state’s highways.
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One Driving Fatality is One too Many and the Illinois State Police is Committed to Driving Zero Fatalities to a Reality
www.isp.state.il.us / TDD: 1-800-255-3323
