Two local police departments will be out in full force through Labor Day weekend in an attempt to stop drunken driving.
Oswego and Montgomery police will both be participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, a partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The enforcement period began Aug. 24 and will run through Sept. 7, police said.
Law enforcement agencies across the state and nation will be cracking down on impaired drivers over the holiday weekend as part of the campaign.
Increased signage about the dangers of drunk or drugged driving, coupled with roadside safety checks and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce the number of impaired drivers, Montgomery police said.
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According to Montgomery Police Department Deputy Chief Armando Sanders, seat belt law violators will receive a ticket without exception during the DUI enforcement period.
“Too many people think their actions don’t affect anybody else,” Sanders said. “They know it’s illegal. They know it’s wrong. But they do it anyway. They make decisions as if those statistics just can’t happen to them.”
According to IDOT statistics, in 2013, there were 10,076 people killed in drunk driving crashes in the United States. The number accounted for almost a third of all traffic fatalities. On Labor Day weekend alone that year, 161 people lost their lives in drunken driving crashes.
“All it takes is a little planning ahead,” Sanders said. “Designate a sober driver or call a cab. But whatever you do, don’t drink and drive.”