Downers Grove Police Begin DUI, Seat Belt Crackdowns

Downers Grove police will begin two traffic safety campaigns Thursday, one for seat belts and the other for impaired driving.

The Downers Grove Police Department recently received a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation for additional DUI enforcement. The campaign will run May 10 through Memorial Day weekend (May 27).

The department will also join IDOT and more than 500 local law enforcement agencies across the state for a "Click It or Ticket" campaign May 10-27.

“As we kick-off the busy summer driving season it’s important for everyone to buckle up every trip, every time, day or night—no excuses,” Lt. Dave Bormann said in a press release. “Our officers are prepared to ticket anyone who is not wearing a seat belt.”

Provisional numbers show that during the 2012 Memorial Day weekend there were six fatalities and almost 600 injuries on Illinois roadways. Three of those fatalities were alcohol-related. 

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 52 percent of the 21,253 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. As noted, deaths involving seat belt non-use are more prevalent at night than during the daytime. According to NHTSA, 62 percent of the 10,135 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.

“Seat belts save thousands of lives every year, but far too many motorists still are not buckling up,especially at night when the risk of getting in a crash is even greater,”  Bormann said. “Our goal is to save more lives, so Downers Grove police officers will be out enforcing seat belt laws around the clock.”

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