The Champaign Police Department today announced its plans for a traffic safety campaign focusing on drunk, unbuckled and distracted drivers. The high-visibility crackdown will run from Aug. 20 through the early morning hours of Sept. 4 to include the Labor Day holiday, an often-deadly time on Illinois roads.
“We need our community to understand that it’s up to everyone to make the smart decision to drive sober on Labor Day and every day,” said Sgt. Geoff Coon. “This isn’t about writing tickets or making arrests. This is about saving lives and helping people realize impaired driving can be fatal. It’s a matter of life or death.”
The Champaign Police Department is partnering with the Illinois State Police and local law enforcement across Illinois for the increased statewide effort.
Statistics show that an average of 10,000 people were killed each year from 2012 to 2016 – that’s one fatality every 50 minutes, or the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing each year with no survivors.
This Labor Day weekend, remember to designate a sober driver and don’t let friends or family members drive drunk. Even a small amount of alcohol can impair judgment and reaction times, making driving unsafe.
The Illinois Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign is administered and funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation with federal dollars managed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.