State police: Be safe, be careful out there

Over the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday weekend, many of us will take to the roads to visit family and friends. Whether you are planning to stay close to home or traveling a long distance, keep in mind that the best way to ensure you arrive at your destination safely is to buckle up.

Locally, I'm happy to report that drivers in the collar counties of Cook County buckle up over 92% of the time they are behind the wheel. But that still leaves almost 1 in 10 drivers who have not yet gotten into the lifesaving habit of wearing their seat belt.

The State Police issued over 14,000 traffic citations over the four day holiday period last year including nearly 4,000 citations for not wearing a seat belt! Drivers can expect the same this year as extra troopers will be out in force in DeKalb, Kane, McHenry, Dupage, and Lake Counties conducting road side safety checks, seat belt enforcement zones, impaired driver and speeding patrols.

We will not be alone as over 500 other Illinois police departments and sheriff's offices will be dedicating over 15,000 hours to seat belt patrols during the Click It or Ticket campaign which ends on May 31st. Statewide, you can anticipate seeing state troopers assigned to patrol each ten-mile section of interstate highway on Friday May 22 and again on Memorial Day Monday, May 25.

We will be diligently enforcing all traffic laws and watching closely for those of you who aren't wearing your seat belt, had too much to drink, are going too fast, and driving aggressively.

Fourteen people needlessly lost their lives in traffic crashes over the Memorial Day holiday last year and we need your help to make sure everyone arrives safely this year. If you see a drunken driver, please report them by dialing 911 from your cell phone. Keep an open eye for motorcycles!

They can be difficult to see which makes it more difficult to judge their speed and distance. Give them extra space when following them and remember that road conditions which may be minor for the driver of car or truck can pose major hazards to motorcycle operators.

If alcohol will be part of your celebrations, remember to drink responsibly and use designated drivers to keep everyone safe.

Wear your seat belt and properly secure children in required child safety seats and booster seats.

Lastly, please remember to move over and slow down for stopped emergency vehicles. It's the law in Illinois and we need your help to protect those who keep all us all safe.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday!

Capt. Jeff Hedrich

Illinois State Police District 2 - Elgin