CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – The Illinois State Police’s (ISP) Brian Dickmann recently announced a variety of road and driver-related safety patrols in November and December across multiple counties including Champaign.

One such patrol will be the Roadside Safety Checks which combine a strong sense of public awareness and enforcement in order to save lives of the motoring public in Champaign County. Officers on patrol will be looking for signs of impaired driving, operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, and transporting open alcoholic beverages, as well as improper seatbelt and child restraint usage, distracted driving, and other Illinois Vehicle Code violations.

Another one will be the Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement patrols which specifically focus on taking action in regards to violations with impaired driving and illegal transportation of drugs or alcohol. This will also take place in Champaign County in November. Another patrol is the Special Traffic Enforcement Patrols (STEP) which focus on the “fatal four” violations that lead to traffic collisions: impaired driving, occupant restraint, speeding, and distracted driving. This will also take place in November at the Vermillion, Macon, and Champaign counties. STEP will also be occurring in Champaign County in December, focusing on the same areas of concern.

Dickmann also announced the Distracted Driving Enforcement Program patrols in Champaign, Vermillion and Macon counties during November.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

  • Over 3,000 people annually are killed in crashes involving distracted driving.
  • Reading a text message can take a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds.
  • Nearly 1 in every 10 injury crashes involved a distracted driver.

On the road, keep these traffic laws in mind:

  • All drivers are prohibited from reading, sending, or receiving text messages or
    communication, video streaming, and from browsing the internet.
  • All drivers are prohibited from using handheld electronic communication devices.
  • Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using any cellphone, even hands-free.
  • All drivers are prohibited from using any cellphone, even hands-free, while in school speed
    zones and work zones.
  • School bus drivers are not permitted to use any type of cellphone, even hands-free.
  • It is illegal to use a cellphone or take photos or videos on wireless devices when driving
    within 500 feet of an emergency scene.

All of these projects are funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.