Illinois State Police plan special patrols in area during April

Illinois State Police District 22 is planning to conduct special details during April in Alexander and Johnson counties.

Plans for the details were announced by Lt. Michael Alvey, who is the commander of the district.

Occupant restraint enforcement patrols are planned in Alexander County.

Alcohol countermeasure enforcement patrols are planned in Johnson County.

Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols

Occupant restraint enforcement patrols allow the state police to focus on safety belt and child safety seat laws. 

Illinois law requires all vehicle passengers, in the front and the back seats of a vehicle, to be buckled up.

The state police noted that safety belts are still one of the most effective safety devices in vehicles, and are estimated to save nearly 14,000 lives each year. 

Half of vehicle occupants killed in a traffic crash were not properly buckled up. 

"The objective of this program is to increase occupant restraint compliance through education, child seat inspections and enforcement," Alvey stated.

Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement Patrols

Alcohol countermeasure enforcement patrols allow the state police to focus on preventing, detecting and taking enforcement action in response to violations associated with impaired driving and illegal transportation or consumption of alcohol or drugs.

The state police have a zero tolerance policy for impaired driving in Illinois.

Officers who are working the detail will be watching for drivers who are operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver's license and transporting open alcoholic beverages.

Most importantly, Alvey noted, state police will be watching for violations which include:

Driving under the influence (DUI), safety belt and child restraint use, speeding, distracted driving and all Illinois Vehicle Code and criminal violations.

Alcohol and drug impairment is a factor in more than 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes Illinois. One alcohol-related traffic fatality occurs every 53 minutes in the United States.

Alvey stated that the alcohol countermeasure enforcement patrols allow officers "to work even harder at removing dangerous DUI offenders from the road."

The details are funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.