On Thursday, January 5, 2023, Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office released data collected during a recent “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” holiday enforcement campaign. The Office partnered with Illinois Department of Transportation and Law Enforcement across the State. From Friday, December 16, through Monday, January 2, 2023, the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office showed zero tolerance for impaired driving, arresting two offenders.
“We can’t stress this enough: Impaired driving is illegal, potentially deadly behavior, and it puts the driver, passengers, and all road users at risk,” said Sheriff John Booker. “The ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ campaign helps our Law Enforcement Officers address this problem head on. If you use any impairing substance, do not get behind the wheel of a vehicle.”
The WCSO ramped up its usual enforcement efforts. In addition to impaired driving arrests, 0 Seat Belt, 0 Speeding, 0 Distracted Driving, and 3 Other traffic Citations as applicable were recorded.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, in 2020 a total of 11,654 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver. On average, more than 10,000 people were killed each year from 2016 to 2020, with one person killed in an alcohol-related crash every 45 minutes in 2020.
The Holiday Enforcement Campaign is administered by IDOT, with Federal Highway Safety funds managed by NHTSA.