County deputies will be conducting additional patrols throughout the holiday weekend.
URBANA - As Memorial Day Weekend approaches, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office is joining law enforcement agencies across Illinois in stepping up efforts to promote seatbelt safety.
The “Click It or Ticket” campaign, backed by federal highway safety funds and coordinated by the Illinois Department of Transportation, aims to reduce traffic fatalities by ensuring all vehicle occupants are properly restrained. Deputies will be conducting additional patrols throughout the holiday weekend, with an emphasis on nighttime enforcement.
Graphic: OpenIcons/Pixabay
Data from 2023 highlights the risk: among those killed in crashes across Illinois, 72% of male passenger vehicle occupants were unrestrained, compared to 28% of female occupants. These figures underscore the importance of buckling up, especially after dark.
Illinois law requires all vehicle occupants aged 8 and older to wear a seatbelt. Children under 8 must be secured in a suitable child restraint system.
Each year, Illinois participates in Click It or Ticket enforcement during the Memorial Day travel period to reinforce seatbelt safety awareness statewide. Officials say seatbelts remain one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent serious injuries in a crash. The Sheriff’s Office encourages drivers and passengers to make seatbelt use a habit—every seat, every trip.
For more on driving safety and Illinois seatbelt laws, visit ItsNotaGameIllinois.com.
ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden's Tyler Hess is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal in the first half. The junior led the team to a 5-3 win over University High on Wednesday at Dick Duval Field. Hess, who is the top finisher in the area with a hat trick in the team's first three matches this season, will try to make it four in a row in the undefeated Spartans' road game against the Vermilion Valley Conference's Hoopeston Area Cornjerkers on Friday. More photos and a game recap coming soon.
