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NEWS Morton Grove trustee making bid for mayor
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Our Village, Our News
www.nilesbugle.com
AUGUST 30, 2012
Vol. 56 No. 47
CRACKING DOWN Local police look to curb drinking and driving for Labor Day weekend By Alex V. Hernandez Staff Reporter
For Your Information It is illegal in Illinois to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 grams per deciliter. According to IDOT, once probable cause is established for impaired driving through field sobriety tests administered by the police officer, a driver is placed
under arrest for driving under the influence, handcuffed and taken to police headquarters. At police headquarters, the driver is asked to participate in a chemical test of breath, blood or urine. If the test shows a blood alcohol contact of 0.08 or higher, the driver is issued a sworn report notifying them that their driver’s license has been suspended for six months. If the driver refuses the chemical test,
they will have their license suspended for 12 months. Following the test or refusal, the individual is then required to post bond and is often detained until bond is posted. Their vehicle may be towed, impounded or seized. Depending on the case, the first impaired driving conviction can result in up to a $2,500 fine, one year loss of driving privileges, 364 days in jail and 25 service hours, according to Drive Sober Illinois.
The Park Ridge and Niles police departments have announced that they will be teaming up to set up a roadside safety checkpoint over Labor Day weekend. The checkpoint will be set up in the area of Dempster Street and Greenwood Avenue, and will last from 9 p.m. Aug. 31 and last until 3 a.m. Sept. 1. Both police departments hope that their roadside safety checkpoint will reduce trafďŹ c crashes and lower potential violations of vehicular safety laws, including the detection of impaired drivers and passengers not wearing a seat belt. The roadside safety checkpoint is being conducted through the support of the Illinois Department of Transportation. The departments cited data from IDOT that demonstrated that a fatality involving a legally drunk person occurs every 1.2 days and a motor vehicle fatality involving a driver who had been drinking, averaged one death every 0.99 days. ahernandez@buglenewspapers.com