Evanston Police Begin Crackdown- Steps up late-night impaired driving and safety belt enforcement
The Evanston Police Department today announced its late-night plans for Labor Day focusing on the most deadly time of day for motor vehicle fatalities. The intensified enforcement effort against the overwhelming number of late-night impaired drivers and safety belt violators underscores the disproportionate number of traffic deaths occurring during late-night hours.
According to data from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the midnight to 3:00 am timeframe is the deadliest time on Illinois roads. Not coincidentally, the data also shows this time of day has the highest percentage of alcohol involvement and the lowest occupant restraint use.
For the last 5 years (2005-2009), 67 percent of the motor vehicle fatalities occurring from midnight to 3:00 am involved a drinking driver. For the same four year period, the midnight to 3:00 am and the 3:00am to 6:00am timeframe had the lowest occupant restraint use involving motor vehicle fatalities with only 27 percent of those who died in crashes properly restrained.
“The numbers do not lie. The nighttime is the wrong 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 Sgt. Thomas Moore. “When you are out, we are out.”
The Evanston 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 include:
• Plan ahead. Designate a sober driver before going out and give that person your
keys.
• If you are impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely.
• Promptly report impaired drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement;
• Wear your 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 www.drivesoberillinois.org.