This Labor Day, We’re Serious About Saving Lives

Every day, law enforcement officers in Illinois witness the devastating aftermath of impaired driving — crashes that leave families shattered and lives forever changed. These tragedies are entirely preventable. And yet, people continue to get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol or using drugs like cannabis. It must stop.

This Labor Day, the South Barrington Police Department is joining more than 200 agencies statewide as part of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Drive High. Get a DUI” enforcement campaigns. Backed by the Illinois Department of Transportation and its “It’s Not a Game” media effort, this campaign sends a clear message: If you drive impaired, you will be stopped, and you will face consequences.

Our job as law enforcement isn’t just to write tickets. It’s to save lives. When we pull someone over for impaired driving, we’re doing it because we don’t want to respond to yet another crash that didn’t have to happen. Drunk and high driving kills. Period.

Driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis or any other drug is illegal — and dangerous. It endangers everyone: the impaired driver, their passengers, innocent motorists and pedestrians. The choice to drive impaired is not just reckless; it’s potentially fatal.

This isn’t about scaring people — it’s about being honest. We’ve seen too many families lose loved ones because someone thought they were “okay to drive.” They weren’t. And now those friends and families live with the consequences forever.

If you’re planning to celebrate Labor Day, make a plan to get home safely. Use a designated driver, a ride share, public transit — anything but getting behind the wheel impaired. Your life, and the lives of others, depend on it.

The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign runs through Sept. 7, but our commitment to preventing impaired driving never ends. Because for us, it’s not about a holiday or a headline. It’s about doing everything we can to make sure everyone gets home alive.

For information, contact Sgt. Lynch at mlynch@southbarrington.org or 847-381-7511

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