Crime & Safety

Sheriff's Office Plans Holiday DUI Crackdown

The Will County Sheriff's Office will be on the lookout for impaired drivers over the holidays, and reminds travelers to buckle up.

The Will County Sheriff's Office is planning a late-night crackdown for the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" and "Click It or Ticket" campaigns during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The intensified enforcement effort underscores the disproportionate number of traffic deaths during late-night hours and the importance of driving safe and sober.

According to data from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the midnight to 3 a.m. timeframe is the deadliest time on Illinois roadways. The data also shows this time of evening has the highest percentage of driving under the influence incidents and the lowest safety belt usage rate.

"The numbers do not lie," Sgt. Steve Byland of the Will County Sheriff's Office's traffic division. "We will be stepping up our late-night enforcement efforts, making sure impaired drivers are off the road and motorists are buckled up."

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Important tips to avoid tragedy include:

  • Plan ahead! Designate a sober driver before going out and give that person your keys.
  • If you are impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend/family member to get you home safe.
  • Use your community's designated driver program. Promptly report impaired drivers you see on the road to law enforcement.
  • Always wear your safety belt and make sure all passengers are buckled up!  It is your best defense against an impaired driver.

The Will County Sheriff's Office also offers some sobering facts on drinking and driving:

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  • Data shows a very disproportionate number of fatal traffic crashes on Illinois roadways occur late at night; a very high percentage of these fatalities involve alcohol and motorists who have failed to buckle up.
  • All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have established a threshold making it illegal to drive with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher.
  • In 2009, 10,839 people were killed in U.S. highway crashes involving a driver with an illegal blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics

In Illinois alone:

  • Data shows during last year’s Christmas holiday (6 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2010 to 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2010), nine people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes and one of those fatalities involved a drinking driver. 
  • 515 people were injured during the Christmas holiday last year.
  • Data shows during last year’s New Year’s holiday (6 p.m. on Dec. 30, 2010 to 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2011), six people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes and two of those fatalities involved a drinking driver.
  • 331 people were injured during the New Year’s holiday last year.


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