The Champaign Police Department recently concluded a focused traffic safety campaign aimed at reducing impaired and unsafe driving in the lead up to Labor Day weekend.
Running from Aug. 15 to Sept. 2, the enforcement effort was conducted in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police and more than 200 local law enforcement agencies. The program was funded through federal traffic safety grants from the IDOT.
Throughout the campaign, CPD committed officers to 46 hours of dedicated patrols, focusing on high-traffic arterial routes and roadways throughout the city, as well as areas with close proximity to residential neighborhoods, according to a CPD press release.
As a result of the increased enforcement, CPD issued two DUI arrests, 31 speeding citations, more than 10 tickets for driving without insurance, a license or while distracted, as well as 12 more citations for other traffic violations.
“Champaign Police work proactively to ensure the safety of every driver, cyclist, and pedestrian in or near our community’s roadways,” wrote Police Chief Timothy T. Tyler in a press release on Aug. 14. “Drivers are reminded that it is never acceptable to drive impaired, and we must all do our part to ensure everyone gets home safely.”
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CPD’s initiative coincided with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. Nationwide, law enforcement agencies and safety organizations reminded motorists of the dangers of impaired driving, especially as millions of Americans took to the roads for the holiday.
