Illinois State Police District 12 Interim Commander, Lieutenant Cory Ristvedt, has announced that the department will conduct Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols (OREP) in Effingham and Jasper Counties this month.
OREP focuses on traffic violations and related to compliance with seat belt laws. Safety enforcement zones will be set up to check if drivers, and passengers, are buckled up. Illinois Law mandates that all vehicle occupants are buckled up when driving.
Safety belts save an estimated 12,000 lives each year and over half of traffic fatalities occur when occupants aren’t bucked up.