DISTRICT 12 ISP - Illinois State Police in District 12 will be conducting various patrols across four of their counties during the month of February.
Crawford/Jasper OREPs
ISP will conduct Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols (OREP) in Crawford and Jasper counties during February. OREPs allow the ISP to focus on safety belt and child safety seat laws. Illinois law requires all vehicle passengers (front and back) to be buckled up!
Safety belts are still one of the most effective safety devices in vehicles, 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.
Clay/Effingham NITE
ISP will conduct Nighttime Enforcement (NITE) patrols in Effingham and Clay counties during February. NITE patrols allow the ISP to focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to impaired driving and occupant restraint violations especially between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
The number of unrestrained drivers killed in traffic crashes is significantly higher at nighttime and combined with impaired driving means even more traffic deaths during these critical hours. Officers will strictly enforce violations including:
- - 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 are factors in more than 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. Over half of all fatal crashes in Illinois occur at night. The NITE program allows officers to work even harder at removing dangerous impaired drivers from the road and making sure everyone is buckled up. These projectsare funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.