MACOMB, IL – Illinois State Police (ISP) District 14 Commander, Captain Jon Dively, has announced that the ISP will be conducting the following Enforcement Patrols during the month of November:
Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement (ACE) patrols in Henderson and McDonough County
ACE patrols allow the ISP to focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to violations associated with impaired driving and illegal transportation or consumption of alcohol or drugs.
The ISP has zero tolerance for impaired driving in Illinois. Officers working the detail will be watchful for drivers who are operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, transporting open alcoholic beverages, and most importantly:
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI);
- Safety Belt and Child Restraint use;
- Speeding;
- Distracted Driving; and,
- All Illinois Vehicle Code and Criminal Violations.
Alcohol and drug impairment are factors in more than 30% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. There is one alcohol-related traffic fatality every 53 minutes in the United States. The ACE program allows officers to work even harder at removing dangerous DUI offenders from the road.
Distracted Driving Enforcement Program patrols in McDonough and Hancock County
This program allows ISP to focus on distracted driving laws to prevent traffic deaths and serious injury crashes.
Distractions can increase a driver’s risk of being in an accident:
- Eating or drinking (non-alcoholic beverages) increases the risk by three times.
- Sending a text message increases the risk by four times.
- Reaching for an object increases the risk by eight times.
- Reading a text message can take a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds.
Officers will be on the lookout for drivers who disobey Illinois’ distracted driving laws,
especially the following:
- All drivers are prohibited from reading, sending, or receiving text messages or communication, and from browsing the internet.
- All drivers are prohibited from using handheld electronic communication devices.
- Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using any cellphone, even hands-free.
- All drivers are prohibited from using any cellphone, even hands-free, while in school speed zones and work zones.
- School bus drivers are not permitted to use any type of cellphone, even hands-free.
- It is illegal to use a cellphone or take photos or videos on wireless devices when driving within 500 feet of an emergency scene.
Nighttime Enforcement (NITE) patrols in Warren and Henderson County
NITE patrols allow the ISP to focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to impaired driving and occupant restraint violations especially between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
The number of unrestrained drivers killed in traffic crashes is significantly higher at nighttime and combined with impaired driving means even more traffic deaths during these critical hours.
Officers will strictly enforce violations including:
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI);
- Safety Belt and Child Restraint use;
- Speeding;
- Distracted Driving; and,
- All Illinois Vehicle Code and Criminal Violations.
Alcohol and drug impairment are factors in more than 30% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. Over half of all fatal crashes in Illinois occur at night. The NITE program allows officers to work even harder at removing dangerous impaired drivers from the road and making sure everyone is buckled up.
Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols (OREP) in Hancock and Henderson County
OREPs allow the ISP to focus on safety belt and child safety seat laws. Illinois law requires all vehicle passengers (front and back) to be buckled up.
Safety belts are still one of the most effective safety devices in vehicles, estimated to save nearly 14,000 lives each year. Half of vehicle occupants killed in a traffic crash were not properly buckled up. The objective of this program is to increase occupant restraint compliance through education, child seat inspections, and enforcement.
Special Traffic Enforcement Patrols (sTEP) in McDonough, Fulton and Warren County
These sTEPs allow the ISP to focus on these fatal four violations which contribute the greatest to traffic crashes and fatalities:
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI);
- Safety Belt and Child Restraint use;
- Speeding;
- Distracted Driving.
The ISP will increase our daytime and nighttime patrols to ensure the safety of vehicle travelers through enforcement of all traffic safety laws. Impaired driving is a factor in more than 30 percent of traffic deaths in Illinois. Likewise, speeding is a factor in nearly 35 percent of fatal crashes; and, nearly 50 percent of vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes were known to not be buckled up.
These Enforcement Patrols will allow ISP to help prevent traffic deaths and serious injury crashes. These projects are funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.
