Grayslake Police Conducting Special Patrols for St. Patrick's Day

The Grayslake Police Department announced it will take part in the statewide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over/Click It or Ticket crackdown by conducting special patrols during this St. Patrick’s Day holiday period to curtail impaired driving and late night safety belt law violators.

The St. Patrick’s Day holiday time period can be a deadly and dangerous time on Illinois roadways. To help prevent traffic fatalities due to impairment from drugs and/or alcohol, the Grayslake Police Department will be focusing on the most deadly time of day for motor vehicle fatalities. Beginning on Thursday, March 14, 2013 running through Sunday, March 17, 2013, the intensified enforcement effort will focus on the overwhelming number of late-night impaired drivers and safety belt violators.

According to data from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and NHTSA, the midnight to 3 a.m. timeframe is the deadliest time on Illinois roads. Not coincidentally, the data also shows this time of day has the highest percentage of alcohol involvement, the lowest occupant restraint use, with the least amount of vehicles on the roadways.

Alcohol not only impairs your driving skills, it also impairs your judgment. Two simple steps to help avoid a tragic crash or an arrest for impaired driving are to always designate a sober driver and not to let friends drive impaired. Other important tips include:

If you are hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party:

• Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you serve is involved in a drunk driving crash;

• Make sure all of your guests designate a sober driver in advance or help arrange ride- sharing with other sober drivers;

• Serve lots of food and include lots of non-alcoholic beverages at the party;

• Keep the phone numbers for local cab companies handy and take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving drunk.

If you are attending a St. Patrick’s Day party:

• Designate a sober driver before the party begins and give that person your car keys;

• If you do not have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home, call a cab, sober friend or family member to pick you up or just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober;

• Never let a friend leave your sight if you think they are about to drive while drunk;

• Always buckle up—it is still your best defense against a drunk driver.

Driving drunk is a deadly decision and it is against the law. The Grayslake Police Department will show zero tolerance. Remember, designate a sober driver before the party begins and always buckle up.

The St. Patrick’s Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Crackdown is funded by federal traffic safety funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and administered through IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety.”

—The Grayslake Police Department submitted this information.