Extra police patrols to be out enforcing traffic safety for Thanksgiving holiday

The St. Charles Police Department is continuing its support of the Illinois Department of Transportation's Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) for FY2018 and reminds motorists to fasten their seat belts over the Thanksgiving Holiday period or run the risk of receiving a ticket. The objective of the STEP program is to reduce the incidence of motor vehicle crashes and the resulting injuries and fatalities, through increased highly visible enforcement of occupant restraint, impaired driving, speed and pedestrian safety during national and state enforcement campaigns. If you wait until you're "buzzed" to make a decision, you may decide to drive. Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving, which means that driving "buzzed" brings very serious consequences.

Commencing Nov. 17 through Nov. 27, St. Charles police officers will be out in force conducting DUI and seat belt enforcement in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Transportation's Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program aptly named "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over/Click It or Ticket."

Fastening a seat belt takes only a second or two, and costs you nothing. Not wearing a seat belt, especially during this Thanksgiving holiday period, will definitely cost you a ticket at the very least, or even worse, your life.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. The goals of the STEP Program are to reduce the number of severe injury and fatal traffic crashes, to achieve a higher use of safety belts, child safety seats and booster seats in ALL seating positions and to achieve a lower incidence of impaired driving involved injuries and fatalities.

Last year, 11 people died on Illinois roads during the long holiday weekend, those fatalities could have prevented with the click of a seat belt. Research has shown that when lap and shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent.

The extra patrol assignments for DUI and seat belt enforcement are being conducted in accordance with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP).