Orland Park Cops Write 664 Tickets In Drop It And Drive Campaign

ORLAND PARK, IL -- Orland Park police issued hundreds of traffic citations during a month-long campaign to draw attention to the hazards of distracted driving. Motorists were encouraged to break bad texting-while-driving habits by putting away the phone and keeping their eyes and brains focused on their driving.

The police department’s promotion included flyers, social media, reminders on Orland Fire station signs and local schools. The public messaging was coupled with increased enforcement efforts.

“Driver distraction is a persistent issue in Orland Park and it has the potential for life altering consequences,” said Chief Tim McCarthy, of the Orland Park Police Department.

The department’s April campaign to “Drop It and Drive” resulted in 664 distracted driving citations. Orland Park’s increased enforcement was part of the national Distracted Driving Awareness Month effort supported by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“At 55 mph, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for about five seconds, long enough to cover a football field,” said Trustee Pat Gira, chair of the village’s Public Safety Committee. “That’s how serious this is, especially for young people who need to put the phones down when driving.”

In 2017, the police department’s mission to minimize distracted driving earned the agency a statewide honor from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Commission.

The IACP lauded the Orland Park Police Department for its “outstanding performance and dedication during the inaugural year of Illinois Distracted Driving Week.

The Orland Park Police Department ranked among the top 10 agencies in the State of Illinois working to minimize distracted driving.

This year, Orland Park participated in both the Illinois Department of Transportation Distracted Driving month long campaign and the Illinois Distracted Driving Awareness Week (IDDAW), which ran from April 23 to 29.

“Distracted Driving Awareness Month may be over but the Orland Park Police Department will continue working to stop motorists from engaging is this deadly behavior,” the police chief said.

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