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Illinois State Police may conduct roadside safety checks in St. Clair or Madison counties during December, Interim District 11 Commander Timothy Tyler announced.
The potential to come across these checks encourages motorists to arrange designated drivers, keep their consumption of alcohol within allowable limits and not drive a vehicle after drinking. Safety checks are designed to take DUI offenders off the road.
Across the country, an average of one alcohol-related traffic death occurs every 45 minutes. Alcohol and drug impairment are significant factors in more than 40 percent of fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. Each year in Illinois, hundreds of lives are lost in alcohol-related crashes.
Officers also will watch for drivers operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, and transporting open alcoholic beverages.
Roadside safety checks are funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The grant is administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety.