Letter to the Editor: Don't Drink and Drive This Holiday Season

Dear Editor:           

As long as I have been a police officer, I have never gotten used to the sorrow I feel when I am called to the scene of a crash where someone has died.  Making matters worse is all too often when I witness that those in the crash were not buckled up or alcohol was involved. This senseless loss of human life is a harsh reality here in the and across Illinois — year after year.

The fact is that impaired-driving deaths have declined significantly since the 1980s.  Social activism, including the rise of organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM), led to tighter laws that helped bring the death toll down. During the last 30 years, every state — plus the District of Columbia — made it illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08. In addition, the legal drinking age was raised from 18 to 21.  Still, in Illinois last year, over 300 people died in motor vehicle crashes that involved a driver impaired by alcohol.

Because we are committed to ending this tragedy, the Palos Park Police Department join with law enforcement in Illinois and throughout the nation for an intense crackdown on impaired drivers and late-night safety belt law violators during this holiday season. The mobilization begins December 19 and runs through January 1, 2012.

As police officers, our message during this crackdown and all year long is clear and unwavering: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket.  With stepped-up law enforcement throughout Illinois – including roadside safety checks and safety belt enforcement zones – if we catch you driving impaired, you will face serious consequences.  If you are not wearing your belt, you will be fined.  We do it to save lives.

- Joe Miller, Chief of Police