Police say 'intelligent' enforcement behind steep decline in fatal wrecks

Troubled by a record number of fatal and serious injury crashes on McHenry County roads, the sheriff's office and Illinois State Police teamed up in 2007 to launch a campaign of heightened traffic law enforcement, driver education and road improvement aimed at keeping more drivers safe and alive.

Their efforts appear to be paying off.

According to figures released this month by sheriff's police, deaths in crashes on roads outside county municipalities have fallen from a record 24 in 2007 to just eight last year. Serious injuries from crashes fell from a high of 57 in 2006 to only 16 in 2009.

The rate of decline far outpaces the trend statewide, which in recent years has seen traffic fatalities fall to their lowest levels since the 1920s.

"We've taken a very aggressive stance toward traffic enforcement, not only with our specialized (traffic) unit, but with all our deputies," Sheriff Keith Nygren said. "We have made it our mission."

At the center of that mission is the office's traffic unit, a four-member group that focuses on accident prevention and investigation, and the joint effort with Illinois State Police District 2.

Together they've employed what state police Lt. Todd Rohlwing calls "intelligence-based policing," a process of compiling crash data from local police agencies and the Illinois Department of Transportation to locate trouble spots and then step up enforcement efforts at them.

"We identify the areas we need to work and put our assets there," said Rohlwing, whose District 2 post also patrols Kane, Lake, DuPage and DeKalb counties.

Sheriff's Sgt. Karen Groves, who heads the traffic unit, said the ability to identify locations of serious crashes then increase police presence in those spots is the major reason for the decline.

"Having deputies whose job it is to go out there and do this has really made a difference," she said. "Just seeing a squad car out there has changed drivers' habits."

The deputies, along with their state police counterparts, have focused specifically on traffic offenses that most often lead to serious and fatal crashes: speeding, drunken driving, failure to yield and not wearing a set beat, among them.

Trouble spots identified for extra attention, Groves said, have included state Route 31, Route 14, Route 20 and Kishwaukee Valley Road near Woodstock.

Besides their patrol duties, members of the traffic unit have appeared before students and other groups discussing issues like texting while driving, distracted driving and seat belt use.

They've also worked with state and local highway authorities to make roads safer. Among their efforts was a redesign of the Route 20 intersection with Harmony Road, just west of Huntley, to improve visibility for drivers.

While celebrating the decline, Nygren said he recognizes things could easily head back in the other direction in coming years or months.

"We're not going to ease up," he said.