(Undated) — The Illinois State Police in Effingham have announced special enforcement patrols for February. In Crawford, Jasper, Marion and Clay counties they will be focusing on occupant restraint. Safety belts are still one of the most effective safety devices in vehicles, estimated to save nearly 14,000 lives each year. Half of vehicle occupants killed in a traffic crash were not properly buckled up. In Clark and Cumberland counties they will be focusing on impaired drivers. Alcohol and drug impairment is a factor in more than 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. There is one alcohol-related traffic fatality every 53 minutes in the United States.
