DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Decatur Police and the Illinois State Police are upping patrols for the Thanksgiving holiday, reminding people to buckle up and designate a sober driver.
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times of the year.
The Decatur Police Department announced its plans for a traffic safety campaign focusing on impaired and unbuckled drivers.
"Holiday traffic brings with it an increased risk for accidents," said Sgt. Steve
Hagemeyer. "To ensure your family makes it to and from your Thanksgiving feast without incident, make a conscious choice to buckle up and plan ahead for a sober ride home."
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, 15 motor vehicle crash
fatalities occurred in Illinois over the 2018 Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Five of the 15 deaths occurred in crashes involving at least one driver who had been
drinking.
The Decatur Police Department is partnering with the Illinois State Police and local law enforcement for the increased statewide effort.
The high-visibility crackdown will run from Nov. 22 through the holiday weekend into the early morning hours of Dec. 2.
The "Click It or Ticket" and "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaigns are
funded by federal traffic safety funds administered by IDOT.
