Buffalo Grove police honor 'Saved by the Belt' member

Buffalo Grove police buckle down in enforcing laws against distracted driving.

But the village also publicly commends drivers who buckle up, preventing serious injuries that can occur as a result of distracted driving.

To mark Distracted Driving Awareness Month, at this week's village board meeting the police department welcomed resident Laura LoVerde into its "Saved by the Belt" club.

According to Buffalo Grove police Sgt. Mike Rodriguez, at about 7:30 a.m. March 3, LoVerde had just dropped off one of her children at St. Mary School. With her 4-year-old daughter, Ava, with her in the 2008 Chevy Suburban, LoVerde was going through the intersection at Buffalo Grove and Dundee on a green light when another vehicle drove through a red light and hit them.

Rodriguez said thanks to the fact LoVerde was wearing her seat belt, and that Ava was properly secured in a forward facing car seat, both escaped serious injuries.

"I'm very honored," Laura LoVerde said. "I'm lucky to be here."

The police department also recognized officers for their efforts in focusing on what Police Chief Steven Casstevens called the "traffic safety triad," the violations that most often contribute to traffic injuries - impaired driving, failure to buckle up, and speeding.

Honors were bestowed upon officers Matt Mills and Danielle Baron, both members of the "1,000 club," having written more than 1,000 speeding citations.

Baron, who also is a K-9 officer, said her approach to enforcement is, "just driving around and keeping your head on the swivel.

"You can tell when people are texting, because you can see their head drop or, at night, you can see the glow of the phone light up their face," Baron said. "Those are pretty good indicators that someone is texting."

Mills attributes his success to "persistence.

"Staying active, staying on top of it - not getting complacent, watching for anything unusual," he said.