Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
As summer winds down, the Crystal Lake Police Department is ramping up its traffic enforcement efforts as part of the national crackdown on drunk driving. The high-visibility campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, is a partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Illinois Department of Transportation to curb drunk and drugged driving and save lives. From August 24 through September 7 (Labor Day), law enforcement partners nationwide and all around Illinois will show zero tolerance for drunk driving. Increased state and national messaging about the dangers of driving impaired by alcohol or other drugs, coupled with roadside safety checks and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce the toll of impaired driving. In addition, seat belt law violators will receive a ticket – no exceptions.
In 2013, there were 10,076 people killed in drunk driving crashes in the U.S., almost a third of all traffic fatalities. 38 percent of crash fatalities on Labor Day weekend that year involved drunk drivers (with blood alcohol concentrations [BACs] of .08 or higher), amounting to 161 lives lost.
Of the 10,076 people who were killed in impaired driving crashes in 2013, 65 percent were the drunk drivers themselves. Those 6,515 drunk drivers planned on making it to their destinations, but they didn’t.
The Crystal Lake Police Department recommends designating a sober driver and not letting friends and family drive drunk as just two of several simple steps to avoid a tragic crash or an arrest for drunk driving. Other important tips include:
• Plan ahead. Designate a sober driver before going out and give that person your keys.
• If you are drunk, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely.
• Promptly report drunk drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement.
• Wear your seat belt and make sure all passengers are buckled up. It is your best defense against a drunk driver.
The law enforcement crackdown is funded by federal traffic safety funds through IDOT.
Address/Location
City of Crystal Lake
100 W Woodstock St
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 815-356-3620