Christmas Eve is upon us and for many of you that means traveling to family gatherings and celebrations. However, before you hit the road local law enforcement officials are urging you to be extra careful. Police from both sides of the river tell us they are cracking down on unsafe drivers Illinois state police, Iowa state police, and county officers have been out in full force making sure drivers are obeying the law. They say with the increased traffic, icy road conditions, and more people drinking, holiday travel can be a dangerous combination.
"It just adds to the possibility of a horrible situation such as a crash," said Sergeant Randy Heisch, Rock Island County Sheriff's Department.
Heisch says that is why he and other Rock Island County deputies are out on the roads, keeping holiday drivers in check.
"We try to keep our man power up and really kind of set a presence where people out there are seeing the squad cars, seeing the officers."
He says because there is no court Monday, there are more patrols than usual spanning across the entire county.
"All the way from the Muscatine bridge to Cordova, throughout the cities."
He says even though the big snow storm has passed, it is still affecting drivers. He says deputies have already responded to several accidents.
"Even though the roads have been cleared, there are still areas that are slick. There are areas that will be slicker when it gets later at night. Also a lot of people driving on the roadways have children in the car. It is a distraction with driving, have to maintain focus on the roadway because with everybody in the car, doing that makes it much more dangerous than a typical day."
Another increased danger on Christmas Eve? Drinking and driving. Both Illinois and Iowa state police have been cracking down all month long and Heisch says his deputies will be doing the same.
"Have a designated driver and if you do feel like you have had too much of an alcoholic beverage stay where you are at."
