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| April 9, 2009 IDOT Announces 2010 Operation Teen Safe Driving Winners Illinois teen fatalities on a decline SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig, Secretary of State Jesse White, the Governors Highway Safety Association, Illinois State Police (ISP), Ford Motor Company Fund and The Allstate Foundation announced the seven winnings schools from the 2010 Operation Teen Safe Driving Program. This announcement comes as Illinois records a decline in teen fatalities in automobile crashes over the past two years as compared to previous years. From January 1 through March 25, 2010, 18 teens (ages 16-19) lost their lives on Illinois roadways. During the same time period last year, there were 15 teen deaths. In total, 105 high schools statewide were initially selected to participate in the innovative program, modeled after Ford Motor Company Fund’s nationally recognized Ford Driving Skills for Life teen safety program. The third year of the statewide program kicked off in August 2009 encouraging high school students to use their creativity and imagination to develop a program to educate their peers on the dangers of unsafe driving practices. Another important teen driving initiative includes the Graduated Driver Licensing law introduced by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. Effective January 1, 2008, the law gives teens: additional behind the wheel driving experience under the watchful eye of a parent or guardian, limits in-car distractions, and requires teens to earn their way from one stage to the next by avoiding traffic convictions. Leading national traffic safety experts have recognized the law as one of the best in the nation. “The improved graduated driver licensing (GDL) law that resulted from the recommendations of the Teen Driver Safety Task Force makes Illinois' teen driver program one of the strongest in the nation and, more importantly, is saving lives,” said Secretary of State Jesse White. “I am encouraged that teen driving deaths have dropped by over 50 percent since the law took effect January 1, 2008. This law, in conjunction with the Operation Teen Safe Driving initiative, is having the intended impact on teen driving safety. My congratulations to the winners as well as to all schools that participated in this important program. Working together, we can save more lives and make Illinois roads safer for all of us.” Twenty one high schools have been selected to participate in Ford Motor Company Fund’s Driving Skills for Life, “Ride and Drive” events. These events will take place in the Chicago area and in central Illinois at the end of April. The “Ride and Drive” events will feature professional drivers providing young drivers rigorous behind the wheel driving exercises, including: hazard recognition/accident avoidance, vehicle handling/skid control and speed/space management. Additionally, the top five winning schools in each region will receive prizes ranging from $500-$2,500 to host a post prom event. “We are very impressed by our high school students, whose efforts are helping make our roadways safer,” said IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig. “Operation Teen Safe Driving has been a very successful initiative, and we are proud to lead the way as the first state to offer a program of this magnitude.” "The Illinois State Police is proud to be partners in Operation Teen Safe Driving,” said ISP Acting Director Jonathon E. Monken. "The accomplishments of these young adults, and the creativity encouraged by this traffic safety initiative, are truly extraordinary. This program provides students with the opportunity to share their time, talents, and energy to promote awareness and safe driving practices in a learning- focused environment." “The Ford Motor Company Fund is very pleased to be the lead partner of this important teen safe driving initiative,” said Jim Graham, Manager of Community Relations Ford Fund and Community Services. “Operation Teen Safe Driving is part of our deep commitment to the safety of all drivers including teenagers. As evidenced by the dropping teen fatality rate, this successful program is truly making a difference on the roads in Illinois and beyond.” “The Allstate Foundation is honored to continue to serve as a leading partner in the combined effort to eliminate distracted driving and save teen lives on Illinois roadways,” said Bill McGrath, Allstate Insurance Regional Sales Leader and father of teen drivers. “With high school prom and graduation celebrations just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to remind teens and their parents about the safety responsibilities young drivers assume every time they get behind the wheel.” The Office of the Governor, the Illinois Secretary of State, IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety, the Illinois State Police, the Illinois State Board of Education, along with corporate sponsors, the Ford Motor Company Fund and The Allstate Foundation are major partners of the Operation Teen Safe Driving program. Other partners include: the Governors Highway Safety Association and SADD (“Students Against Destructive Decisions”). The winning schools in each region are as followed: Region One: 1st place: Oak Forest HS 2nd place: John Hersey HS 3rd place: Palatine HS 4th place: St. Viator HS 5th place: Harold L. Richards HS Region Two: 1st place: Gardner South Wilmington HS 2nd place: Lincoln Way Central HS 3rd place: HD Jacobs HS 4th place: Glenbard West HS 5th place: Glenbard North HS Region Three: 1st place: Farmington High School 2nd place: AlWood High School 3rd place: Serena High School Region Four: 1st place: Pekin High School 2nd place: Quincy High School 3rd place: Lanphier High School 4th place: Southeast High School 5th place tied: Beardstown High School & Deer Creek Macinaw High School Region Five: 1st place: Oakland High School 2nd place: Hillside Bethel Christian School 3rd place: Donovan High School 4th place: Cissna High School 5th place tied: Clifton Central High School & Tuscola High School Region Six: 1st place: Chester High School 2nd place: East Alton Wood River High School 3rd place: Civic Memorial High School 4th place: Trico High School 5th place: Granite City High School Region Seven: 1st place: Patoka High School 2nd place: Salem High School 3rd place: Thompsonville High School 4th place: Herrin High School 5th place: NCOE High School |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 9, 2010 Governor Quinn Signs Legislation to Encourage Parents to Keep Children Safe While Driving New Law Increases Penalties and Encourages Education for Parents who Fail to Use Child Safety Seats CHICAGO – June 9, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today signed a bill into law that will further encourage parents across the state to properly secure their young children in safety seats when traveling Illinois’ roads and highways. “There is nothing more sacred than the safety of our children,” said Governor Quinn. “This important new law will encourage parents to properly secure their young children while driving and help save lives on Illinois’ roads.” House Bill 4691, sponsored by Rep. Michael Zalewski (D-Riverside) and Sen. Louis Viverito (DBurbank), increases penalties and encourages safety education for parents who do not secure their children in a properly-installed child safety seat while driving. Under the new law, the fine for a first violation of the Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act increases from $50 to $75, and fines for subsequent violations increase from $100 to $200. The legislation also encourages parents to get proper child safety education. Parents who complete a certified child passenger safety course and own an approved child safety seat will be eligible to have their fine for the first violation dropped. House Bill 4691 passed the General Assembly nearly unanimously and takes effect on January 1. Current Illinois law requires anyone who transports a child under the age of eight in their vehicle to properly secure that child in a child safety seat. Children under eight who weigh more than 40 pounds do not have to ride in child safety seats as long as they are buckled into a lap belt in the back seat. Governor Quinn has made the reduction of traffic crash fatalities and the improvement of traffic safety a top priority of his administration. Last fall Governor Quinn signed a law, initiated by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, which bans the use of cell phones in construction zones as well as school zones. Additional legislation signed into law last August bans text messaging while driving on all Illinois roads. The penalty for violating either measure is a moving violation that will go on the motorist’s driving record as well as fines and court costs to be determined by the judge. Source- Illinois Governement News Network |
| Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. 2010 Quick Facts We Need YOU to Make the Crackdown Count: August 20–September 6 It lasts only two and a half weeks in summer. Yet the impact of the national crackdown on impaired driving extends far beyond Labor Day. Research shows high-visibility enforcement works. Stepping up enforcement will get more impaired drivers off the street — and that adds up to more lives saved. Are you willing to make the crackdown count in your community? What you face … The .08 BAC threshold —• All 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have established a threshold making it illegal per se to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher. Crossing the threshold —• In spite of these laws, nearly 12,000 people nationwide during 2008 were killed in crashes involving drivers or motorcycle riders with BACs of .08 or higher. Repeat offenders —• A driver involved in a fatal crash who had a BAC of .08 or higher was 8 times more likely to have a prior conviction for driving impaired than a driver involved in fatal crash who had consumed no alcohol. Impaired drivers and vehicles —• The percentage of drivers with BACs of .08 or higher involved in fatal crashes was highest for motorcycle riders (29%), compared with drivers of light trucks (23%) and passenger cars (23%). Impaired drivers and age —• The highest percentage of drivers in fatal crashes who had BACs of .08 or higher was for drivers 21 to 24 years old (34%), followed by drivers 25 to 34 (31%) and 35 to 44 (25%). High-risk periods —• Alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was 4 times higher at night than during the day (36% versus 9%); and 32 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes on weekends were alcohol-impaired, compared to 15 percent during the week. A serious crime —• Alcohol-impaired (.08 BAC or higher) crash fatalities accounted for 32 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities during 2008 — or an average of one fatality every 45 minutes. What you can do … Commit to the crackdown —• Join law enforcement agencies across the country in cracking down on impaired drivers this August 20 through September 6, 2010; make your efforts highly visible and promote your participation to your local media. Emphasize consequences —• Driving while impaired often results in jail time, fines and other penalties — including being sentenced to use an ignition interlock — as well as personal embarrassment, adverse effects on job prospects and financial costs. Use the sample earned media in this kit to help you alert drivers to the consequences of impaired driving. Maximize enforcement success —• Conduct sobriety checkpoints and enforcement activities during high-risk nighttime hours. Consider setting up checkpoints (even with low staffing) early in the evening, e. g., from 7 to 9 p.m. (to increase visibility) and saturation and roving patrols during late night hours, e.g., 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. (to increase the likelihood of making arrests). For additional impaired-driving information and resources, visit the High-Visibility Enforcement Campaign Headquarters at July 5 2010 |
Illinois Department of Transportation announces record 92.6 percent statewide safety belt compliance rate Highway fatalities on decline for first half of 2010 SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Secretary Gary Hannig today announced that Illinois has continued to make remarkable gains in roadway safety in 2010, as the number of motorists and front seat passengers who buckle up in the state has reached a record of 92.6 percent. The Illinois Department of Transportation's Division of Traffic Safety reports the overall number of fatalities on Illinois roads is down by 16.8 percent on a provisional basis for the first six months of 2010; from 434 in 2009, to 361 in 2010. "We are extremely proud of the dedication, hard work and diligence shown by IDOT's Division of Traffic Safety, our partners, and Illinois motorists whose positive efforts have made this historic achievement possible," said IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig. "Since the primary safety belt law took effect in 2004, the compliance rate has climbed from 83 percent to the most recent 92.6 percent. We continue to celebrate incremental improvements to the statewide compliance rate; simply put, when more motorists buckle up, more lives can potentially be saved." Since July of 2003, safety belt use in Illinois has gone up 16.4 percentage points, from 76.2 percent in 2003 to 92.6 percent in the statewide survey, just completed by IDOT's Traffic Safety Division. Prior to enactment of the primary enforcement law, police could not pull a driver over based solely on a safety belt violation. After the law took effect in 2004 and police began aggressive safety belt enforcement, safety belt use climbed to 83 percent in June of 2004, 86 percent in June of 2005, 88 percent in June of 2006, 90.1 percent in 2007, 90.5 percent in June of 2008, 91.7 percent in June of 2009 and 92.6 percent in June of 2010. "During the past six years we have seen the statewide compliance usage rate climb to a remarkable 92.6 percent," said IDOT's Traffic Safety Director Michael Stout. "This incredible milestone would not have been possible without the hundreds of dedicated IDOT staff and partners throughout the state working tirelessly to make our highways safer. We believe the decrease in Illinois fatalities is a direct result of the increase in safety belt usage. We look forward to helping this number increase in our effort to save lives." Only 16 States and Territories in the country attained that level of safety belt use so far. In addition to more people wearing their safety belts, traffic fatalities on Illinois roads have steadily declined since the passage of the primary safety belt enforcement law. In 2003, there were 1,454 total fatalities; in 2004, there were 1,355; in 2005, there were 1,363; in 2006, there were 1,254; in 2007, there were 1,248; and in 2008, there were 1,043 total fatalities. The year 2009 had the lowest number of traffic fatalities since 1921, when there were 887. For more information on the recent safety belt usage rate refer to www.dot.il.gov/trafficsafety/tsevaluation.html. To view a short video exemplifying why some Illinois residents are making the choice to buckle up, please visit IDOT's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2gDyuyaeWk. |