Peoria - The Peoria County Sheriff's Office has received a $33,000 Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant from the State of Illinois Division of Traffic Safety. The grant allows the Sheriff's Office to increase traffic enforcement and reduce the number of motor vehicle accidents by focusing on safety belt and impaired driving enforcement. With the grant funding the Sheriff's Office will conduct six increased traffic enforcement campaigns through the course of the next year. This weekend the Sheriff's Office will be conducting two saturation patrols for impaired driving enforcement. Also, over the next few weeks, seatbelt enforcement efforts will take place in Peoria County.
"Safety is our first concern for the residents and visitors in Peoria County," explains Peoria County Sheriff Michael D. McCoy. "By increasing our traffic enforcement efforts we hope to improve the use of safety belts and reduce the incidence of impaired driving."
The purpose of STEP is to lower the incidence of motor vehicle crashes-and their resulting injuries and fatalities-through increased highly visible enforcement of safety belt use and impaired driving during national and state enforcement campaigns. The stepped-up, year-long traffic enforcement focuses on specific times of year and on specific times of the day when data shows impaired driving and unbuckled fatalities are the highest. The increased patrol presence deters potential impaired drivers and potential unbuckled drivers. Through the STEP campaign, increased traffic enforcement will have a positive impact on reducing serious injuries and fatalities on our roads.
For more information on the STEP grant, please call the Peoria County Sheriff's Office at 697-8515.
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Peoria County Courthouse, 324 Main Street, Room 502, Peoria, Illinois 61602
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