Illinois State Police launch Operation Fatal 4

8 months, 2 weeks ago

Police statewide are reminding motorists to make safety their number one priority while driving during the Labor Day holiday weekend

Pittsfield to Enforce DUI, Speeding, Seatbelt and

Distracted Driver Violations

The 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 the busiest driving periods for motorists and thousands of drivers are expected to hit the roadways and interstates nationwide.

Law Enforcement officials will push for ZERO fatalities by enforcing the four most common traffic violations:  Speeding; DUI; seat belts; and distracted driving.  Troopers will saturate the expressways and roadways looking for violators.  “District 20 Troopers will focus patrol efforts on Interstates 72 and 172 to assist motorists as well as take appropriate enforcement action for traffic violations that place others at risk,” said District 20 Commander Captain Bob Elliott.

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.

“Although a holiday weekend, criminals don’t take holidays, District 20 Troopers will be watchful for any suspicious activity and conduct thorough follow up to detect criminal activity,” Commander Elliott said.

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.

“In District 20, over Labor Day weekend last year, no fatal crashes occurred in the five counties of Adams, Brown, Pike, Scott and Schuyler. Our goal is to repeat that outcome of zero fatalities this year,” Commander Elliott said. 

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.