The Illinois State Police (ISP) announced this week that it will conduct a variety of special operations in October affecting the entire Fox Valley region.
Kane County
The ISP will conduct Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols (OREP) in Kane County during October. 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.
Cook, DeKalb, DuPage Counties
ISP will conduct Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement (ACE) patrols in Cook, DeKalb and DuPage Counties during October. 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.
Officers 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.
According to the ISP, alcohol and drug impairment is a factor in more than 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois, and throughout the U.S. nearly 10,000 people die each year due to alcohol-impaired driving. ACEs are designed to keep roads safe by taking dangerous DUI offenders off the road.
In addition, the ISP will conduct Nighttime Enforcement (NITE) patrols in these counties during October. 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.
Alcohol and drug impairment is a factor in more than 30 percent 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.
These projects are funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.
