'Drive Sober' Campaign Now In Effect In Orland Park

ORLAND PARK, IL — Orland Park Police will be keeping an especially close eye out for drunk drivers, beginning August 19 through the Labor Day weekend.

Orland Park Police join the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to spread the word about impaired driving dangers and to work together to get drunk drivers off the roads and help save lives.

The high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, runs from August 19 through Sept. 6. During this period, local law enforcement will show zero tolerance for drunk driving. Increased State and national messages about the dangers of drunk driving, coupled with law enforcement and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce drunk driving on our nation’s roadways.

“Sadly, the statistics prove that we have a lot of work to do to put an end to drunk driving,” said Orland Park Police Chief Eric Rossi.

According to NHTSA, 10,142 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2019. On average, 10,000 people were killed each year from 2015 to 2019 — one person was killed in drunk-driving crashes every 52 minutes in 2019.

The Orland Park Police Department is working with NHTSA to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal; it is a matter of life and death. As you head out to the Labor Day festivities, remember: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

“We want to see Labor Day celebrated, but celebrated safely,” said Chief Rossi. “We need commitment from our community members that they’ll keep the streets free of drunk drivers so that everyone can have a safe holiday. Help us protect the community and put an end to this senseless behavior,” he said.

During the 2019 Labor Day holiday period (6 p.m. August 30 – 5:59 a.m. September 3), there were 451 crash fatalities nationwide. Forty-five percent of those fatalities involved drivers who had been drinking (.01+ BAC). More than one-third (38%) of the fatalities involved drivers who were drunk (.08+ BAC), and nearly one-fourth (24%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC). Age is a particularly risky factor: Among drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday period in 2019, 46% of those drivers were drunk, with BACs of .08 or higher.

“Drunk driving is not acceptable behavior, especially when there are so many safe alternatives to get home safely,” said Chief Rossi. “It is essential to plan a sober ride home before you ever leave for the party,” he said.