Berwyn Police will join the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the Illinois State Police and hundreds of local law enforcement agencies across the state for the 2016 Click It or Ticket campaign that runs from May 16-30. Officers will be out in force day and night during this time frame, cracking down on seat belt law violators and impaired drivers. Motorists caught driving unbuckled will be ticketed and those caught driving impaired by drugs or alcohol will be arrested. Illinois seat belt law requires all front and back seat occupants to buckle up. During statewide observational surveys conducted by IDOT in 2015, the overall usage rate for rear seat occupants was 84.9 percent, versus 95.2 percent for drivers and front seat passengers. Of the 274 fatalities in 2015 that occurred during night time hours, 42 percent were unbuckled.

“Unbuckled motorists continue to lose their lives on Illinois roadways,” said Chief James Ritz. “We want motorists and passengers to buckle up this Memorial Day weekend and throughout the summer – it could be the difference between life and death.” Provisional numbers show that 13 fatalities occurred on Illinois roadways during the 2015 Memorial Day weekend; three of those fatalities were alcohol-related. Wearing a seat belt is your best defense against an impaired driver. Remember: In Illinois, children are required to be in a car seat or booster seat until at least age 8 and all children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat.