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Details on holiday weekend policing

Tanya Koonce
/
WCBU

  State and local police are encouraging seat belt compliance and using the Memorial Day weekend for roadside safety checks. There will also be a lot of extra state police around this weekend because of Summer Camp. Illinois State Police District 8 Trooper Dustin Pierce says they will be focusing mostly on what’s called the fatal four: speeding, seat belt compliance and impaired and distracted driving. “We know that the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is one of the deadliest times on the roadway. Out of the 28 deaths we had last year on the roadway in District 8 which includes Peoria, Tazewell, Marshall, Stark and Woodford Counties, 14 of those occurred during that time period.” 
Distracted driving includes using cell phones in construction and school zones and within 500 feet of an accident site as well as texting. Pierce says the construction zones just outside of Peoria also have troopers assigned almost around the clock. The minimum fine for speeding in a construction zone is $375. Pierce says drivers also need to remember to move over to give police and emergency workers extra room on the road. He says the goal of the extra weekend patrols is to keep everybody safe.