Grayslake police begin holiday crackdown on DUIs, seat belts

The Grayslake Police Department today announced its plans for the 2013 Holiday “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Click It or Ticket” crackdown.

The intensified enforcement effort to combat late-night impaired driving and safety belt violations underscores the disproportionate number of traffic deaths occurring during late-night hours.

The stepped up enforcement begins Friday, Dec. 20, and runs through Jan. 5, 2014. Enforcement efforts will concentrate on the deadly night time hours between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

According to data from the Illinois Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the midnight to 3 a.m. time frame 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 shows alcohol and lack of belt use continues throughout the nighttime hours until 6 a.m.

The law enforcement crackdown runs concurrently with a media campaign that will remind motorists “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.