Q-C, state police to be out in force for weekend
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By Thomas Geyer | Saturday, September 01, 2007 |
Television viewers likely have noticed the plethora of ads telling people if they drive drunk, they will go to jail.
And with the final travel holiday of the summer this weekend, police are letting drivers know to not drink and drive, buckle up and keep speeds down.
“It’s a national campaign,” said Jim Saunders, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
“It’s a national crackdown on intoxicated driving,” he said. “Iowa’s portion is funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, which gets grant money from federal resources.
“With those funds we’re able to provide local and state departments with money and put more officers on the highways,” he added.
The big crackdown in Iowa began last week, he said. “It will run through the Labor Day weekend.”
Of course, he said, officers will also be looking for speeders, people not buckled up and other indications of inappropriate driving.
Saunders said that in 2006 in Iowa 101 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes.
As for using a seat belt, he said, “Iowa’s compliance rate has increased from 90 percent to 92 percent. That is good news. I believe it is because Iowa law enforcement has been diligent about enforcing that law. The vast majority of fatalities in traffic crashes are people being ejected. Those deaths are preventable.”
As of Aug. 15, 45 people have been saved by seat belts in crashes on Iowa’s roadways, he said. Since the law was enacted in 1986, 5,838 lives have been saved by seat belts in crashes on Iowa’s highways.
Rock Island Police Lt. Mark Poulos said that during the upcoming holiday, “there will be enhanced patrols; that I can assure you.
“They will be in areas where there is usually an abundance of drunken drivers,” he added.
‘No pity’
There are a couple of good ways to avoid getting nailed for drunken driving, he said.
“I can break it down into three words,” he said. “Take a taxi. And I can break it down again into two words; designated driver.”
Poulos said if someone thinks they have had enough to be buzzed, they probably are. “If you are buzzed, don’t get behind the wheel.”
And people who cannot control their vehicle can still be arrested in Illinois for driving under the influence even though their blood alcohol level is below 0.08.
“You’re still going to jail,” Poulos said. “All it means is that it doesn’t count as an automatic suspension of their driver’s license.”
He added that regardless of the legal ramifications, anyone who drives drunk and hurts or kills someone will have to live with it for the rest of his or her life.
“If anyone is foolish enough to go out and drink and drive during a holiday weekend when they know there will be more police on the streets, they’re getting what they deserve and I have no pity for them,” Poulos said. “And I anticipate an increased number of DUI arrests this weekend.”
More enforcement
Davenport and Bettendorf police departments, along with the Iowa State Patrol and the Illinois State Police, are just a few of the local agencies participating in “Stay Alive on the Is,” which will focus on the Interstate 80 corridor in both states.
Bettendorf Police Sgt. Rich Streepy said in a news release that the I-80 enforcement will be virtually the length of the interstate. Also, enforcement efforts along Interstate 35 will run from Duluth, Minn., to Laredo, Texas.
East Moline Police Lt. John Reynolds announced in a news release that there will be two enforcement campaigns in that city. The first started Monday and will run through Sept. 9. Officers will be concentrating on impaired drivers, speed enforcement and seat belt violations.
There will be roadside safety checks, safety belt enforcement zones and increased patrol enforcement, Reynolds said.
The second East Moline enforcement action will be speed enforcement throughout the month of September, he said.
AAA said that despite falling fuel prices, travel this Labor Day weekend will be flat.
Beth Mosher, spokeswoman for AAA Chicago, said the organization is predicting that 34.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the long weekend. That represents only a 0.2 percent rise in travel over last year’s Labor Day holiday.
Affordability of travel is of concern to people, she said.
Thomas Geyer can be contacted at (563) 383-2328 or tgeyer@qctimes.com.
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