Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In 2007, in America, nearly 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving alcohol, which is 32 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities. Here in Illinois, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 434 people lost their lives in alcohol-involved crashes, which is 35 percent of all crashes
That is why the Elgin Police Department announced today they will be joining hundreds of other law enforcement and highway safety agencies across Illinois from now through the Labor Day holiday to take part in the You Drink & Drive. You Lose crackdown on impaired driving.
“Make no mistake. Our message is simple. No matter what you drive—a passenger car, pickup, sport utility vehicle or motorcycle—if we catch you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions. No excuses,” said Traffic Investigator Jim Genz. “We will be out in force conducting Roadside Safety Checks, along with D.U.I. saturation patrols to get drunk drivers off the road—and save lives that might otherwise be lost.”
“Driving with a BAC of 0.08 or higher is illegal in Illinois. Yet we continue to see far too many people suffer debilitating injuries and loss of their loved ones as a result of impaired driving. This careless disregard for human life must stop. To help ensure that happens, the Elgin Police Department is dedicated to arresting impaired drivers wherever and whenever we find them,” said Traffic Investigator Jim Genz.
“Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving are significant,” said Spokesperson and Traffic Unit Sergeant Glenn Theriault. “Violators face possible jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work and dozens of other expenses. So don’t take the chance. Remember, if You Drink & Drive. You Lose!,” Theriault added.
During this statewide crackdown, the Illinois State Police, the Illinois Secretary of State Police and hundreds of local police departments and sheriff’s offices will conduct Roadside Safety Checks and other stepped-up impaired driving enforcement details such as saturation patrols.
The law enforcement crackdown is funded by federal traffic safety funds through IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety and is coupled with a media campaign that will remind motorists: You Drink & Drive. You Lose.