St. Charles police participating traffic safety campaigns this Halloween weekend

Posted October 28, 2015 11:00 pm

St. Charles Police Department

The St. Charles Police Department will be participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket traffic safety campaigns this Halloween weekend. On Oct. 30 through Nov. 1, additional officers will be assigned to DUI and seat belt enforcement.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• On Halloween Night between 2009 and 2013, 119 people were killed by drunken driving.

• Over those five Halloween Nights (2009-2013), 43 percent of all motor vehicle deaths involved drunken driving.

• Seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.

• 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 St. Charles Police Department urges residents to stay safe and protect your neighbors by making a plan to get home without getting behind the wheel on Halloween Night if you've been drinking.

You can stay safe and protect your neighbors by following these tips:

• Plan a safe way to get home before you go out because alcohol impairs judgment. You're not going to make smart and safe choices if you've been drinking.

• Designate a sober driver, take a taxi, a car service, or a call a sober friend or family member to get home.

• Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. There's no such thing as "I only had a couple." If you've been drinking you shouldn't be driving.

• If you see a drunken driver on the road, call 9-1-1 when it is safe to do so.

• If you see someone you think is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them get home safely.

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

For information, contact Commander Erik Mahan at (630) 377-4435.

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