Seat belts, not gasoline, could prove costly for Illinois holiday drivers

By Jan Dennis <a href=www.stltoday.com>Associated Press Writer updated: 05/19/2003 05:03 PM

Gasoline prices should hold steady, but holiday travel could prove costly for Illinois motorists who fail to buckle up this Memorial Day weekend.

Police agencies around the state launched their largest-ever seat-belt crackdown Monday, and expect to hand out up to 25,000 tickets over the next two weeks in an effort to trim the annual death toll of about 1,400 on the state's highways.

Illinois State Police and more than 90 percent of local police departments across the state are participating in the ``Click It or Ticket'' campaign, part of a nationwide traffic safety program.

Through June 1, police will target seat-belt violations, which normally bring charges only after drivers are stopped for another offense. That zero-tolerance approach would become law under a bill pending in the Legislature.

Transportation officials hope the threat of a $55 ticket increases awareness and decreases traffic fatalities.

Home Improvement & Gardening (207) Automotive & Vehicles (205) Dining & Entertainment (149) Services (137) Medical (118) Real Estate & Rentals (113) Finance (88) Furniture (76) Grocery (66) Movies (50) ...more on Ad Zone``We want to get them to buckle up before they see their friendly neighborhood policeman,'' said Shannon Alderman, chief of safety projects for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Historically, as many as 20 motorists are killed in holiday weekend accidents in Illinois, and most are unbuckled, Alderman said.

``I want it to be zero. That's ultimately the goal,'' he said.

Illinois' compliance rate for seat belt use is nearly 74 percent, up from about 66 percent three years ago but still short of the national average of 75 percent, Alderman said. An increase to 85 percent would save 141 lives a year statewide, according to IDOT estimates.

Along with seat-belt violations, police also will be on the lookout for drunken drivers and other traffic violations, Alderman said. The crackdown could include up to 200 roadside safety checks across the state over the three-day weekend, he said.

While motorists can expect extra patrols for Memorial Day, they should find stable prices at the pump, said Steve Nolan of AAA-Chicago Motor Club.

He predicted gasoline prices will remain near Monday's statewide average of $1.55 per gallon, up slightly from $1.52 a gallon over the holiday weekend last year.

Barring something unforeseen, Nolan said, prices should stay in that range through the summer, after fluctuating from a low of $1.49 a gallon to a high of $1.75 in the weeks before the war with Iraq.

``That's good news, but the caveat is that something always seems to go wrong, like last year's refinery fires and the work stoppage in Venezuela,'' he said.

Nolan said 35 million people will travel 50 or more miles from home this weekend, up less than 1 percent from last year.

``Any increase is an extremely good sign for the travel industry given the state of the economy and the concerns over SARS and terrorism threats,'' he said.