The University of Illinois Police Department in the past couple weeks has spent more time conducting enforcement of driving under the influence violations, and patrol officers will continue to look for motorists who are putting others at risk.
On July 16 alone, University Police officers made three arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol. During those stops, those three drivers provided breath samples indicating blood-alcohol concentrations between 0.10 and 0.16. The legal limit for driving is 0.08.
On July 12, University Police made another arrest when they stopped to assist a driver whose vehicle was stopped on the side of the road with a damaged tire. The officer recognized clues that the driver was impaired, and subsequently learned that he had a blood-alcohol concentration of about 0.16.
A particularly serious offense occurred on July 10, when University Police attempted to stop a motorcyclist who was known to have a suspended license and was travelling at least 65 mph in a 25 mph zone on Springfield Avenue. The motorcyclist initially fled from police for about two miles, disregarding several stop signs and red lights along the way, and almost causing a collision at a major intersection.
He was later stopped and provided a preliminary breath sample indicating a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.256, more than three times the legal limit. The motorcyclist was arrested and charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and aggravated fleeing from police.
“Every vehicle driven by an impaired driver is like a bullet already fired from a gun,” said University Police Sgt. Ryan Snow, a certified drug recognition expert who is specially trained to identify impaired drivers. “We have to stop it, or else someone has a high likelihood of getting hurt very seriously.”
University Police have made 14 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2022.
University patrol officers will continue to emphasize enforcement of driving under the influence as part of their routine duties.