Lemont Police Holiday Crackdown Under Way

Editor's note: The following is a press release issued by the Lemont Police Department.

Lemont Police Chief Kevin Shaughnessy has announced his plans for the 2012 holiday “Drive Sober of Get Pulled Over/Click It or Ticket” crackdown. The intensified enforcement effort against drunk drivers and seat belt law violators underscores the disproportionate number of traffic deaths caused by alcohol and failure to buckle up.

The stepped-up enforcement began Dec. 17, and will run through New Year’s Eve. Enforcement efforts will concentrate on the deadly nighttime hours between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

According to data from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the midnight to 3 a.m. timeframe is the deadliest time on Illinois roadways, and 9 p.m. is the time of day when data shows that alcohol involvement and low seat belt use begins to play a much more significant role in motor vehicle fatalities. Data show alcohol and lack of belt use continued throughout the nighttime hours until 6 a.m.

“The numbers do not lie,” said Lemont Police Sgt. Joe Miller. “We will be stepping up our late-night enforcement efforts, making sure drunk drivers are off the road and motorists are buckled up. In Lemont, the message is simple … Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket.”

Chief Shaughnessy 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 runs concurrently with a media campaign that reminds motorists to “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Click It or Ticket,” and is administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation with funds made available via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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