Lemont Police to Conduct Weekend Roadside Safety Checks

The will increase traffic safety enforcement this weekend in an effort to promote seat belt usage and safe driving throughout Illinois.

"Click it or Ticket" is a statewide effort by local law enforcement agencies and the Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) Division of Traffic Safety that encourages the use of seat belts in motor vehicles. The campaign's message is "Buckle Up Illinois ... No Excuses!"

Lemont Police Sgt. Joseph Miller, coordinator of the department's traffic safety program, said officers will set up a "seat belt enforcement zone" near the Lemont Road bridge Friday night. Seat belt violators will receive tickets without any warnings.

According to the IDOT, the state has a 92.9-percent daytime safety belt usage rate. However, statistics show that there are still far too many drivers and passengers who do not buckle up, Miller said.

"To lose a loved one is a terrible thing to experience, but to lose one's life when it might have been saved by taking two seconds to buckle a safety belt is truly senseless," he said.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "regular safety belt use is the single more effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes."

Officers will also be conducting roadside safety checks Saturday night in an effort to crack down on drunken motorists.

The campaign kicks off just one week before the busy holiday season. During the Thanksgiving holiday period last year, 15 vehicle occupants died in motor vehicle accidents and more than 700 were injured, Miller said. Nine of those deaths involved drunken driving.

"I urge everyone driving on Illinois roadways this holiday season to drive carefully, do not drive impaired and, most importantly, buckle up each and every trip, night or day," Lemont Police Chief Kevin Shaughnessy said. "Remember, the best defense against an impaired driver or a distracted driver is a safety belt."

For more information on Lemont's "Click It or Ticket" campaign, contact Lemont Police Sgt. Joseph Miller at 630-257-2229.