ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The choices made during Labor Day weekend could lead to matters of life and death, say police.
For this reason, local and statewide authorities in both Illinois and Iowa are partnering together to enforce safety policies during the holiday weekend.
Area police say they're focused on speeders, distracted drivers, and seatbelt violations as part of the "Drive Sober of Get Pulled Over" campaign which runs from August 20 through the early-morning hours of September 7.
Rock Island County Sheriff Gerald Bustos says drivers in the area can expect to see an increase in impaired driving protocols.
Lieutenant Steffanie Cromien with the Galesburg Police Department said planning ahead for a safe ride home is "truly a matter of life or death."
“While celebrations marking the last days of summer may look different this year than in times past, the potential remains for an increase in the number of impaired drivers on the roads,” said Lt. Cromien, with the Galesburg Police Department. “Impaired driving kills more than 10,000 people in the United States each year."
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, the 2018 Labor Day holiday, between August 31 through September 4, had traffic 439 fatalities occur nationwide. Of those deaths, 43 percent involved drivers who had been drinking alcohol, 38 percent involved drivers who were over the legal limit.
Iowa will also be enforcing a ramped-up safety effort this weekend.
The Des Moines County Sheriff's Office will be working to carry out unimpaired motorcycle riding and taking drunk motorcyclists off the roads.
"Planning is essential to a safe night out," said Sheriff Kevin Glendening. "We need a commitment from our community members that they'll work along side us to keep the roads free of drunk riders and drivers so everyone can have a safe Labor Day weekend."
The highest percentage of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes are often motorcyclists, says the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office.
They also report that throughout all of 2019, motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes had higher percentages of alcohol impairment than any other type of motor vehicle driver:
Fatal crashes (Des Moines County Sheriff's Office, 2019)
- 29% motorcycle riders
- 20% passenger car drivers
- 19% light-truck drivers
- 2% large-truck drivers
If you plan to drink at a bar or party, the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office recommends leaving your bike at home and planning ahead with a sober ride.
"Motorcycles and alcohol don't mix," they said.
