Park Ridge drivers heading out for the Labor Day holiday face stepped-up police enforcement on local roads through Tuesday, Sept. 8.

The Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and law enforcement agencies across the state are running the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign, targeting impaired driving, seat belt violations and distracted driving. Park Ridge police, which joined the statewide effort in both 2024 and 2025, are among the local departments included in the IDOT announcement.

The campaign covers both alcohol and drug impairment.

The enforcement push follows a 2025 Labor Day weekend in which nine people died on Illinois roads. Three of those fatal crashes were alcohol-related, according to IDOT data.

"Holiday weekends are busy travel weekends. ISP troopers will be on the roads looking for impaired drivers," said Col. Chris Owen of the ISP Division of Patrol, in the IDOT campaign announcement. "Whether alcohol or drugs, driving impaired puts your life and the lives of others at risk."

Stephane B. Seck-Birhame, bureau chief of Safety Programs and Engineering at IDOT, said driving under the influence "could be costly and deadly" and urged drivers to remember that impaired driving is "Not a Game," a reference to IDOT's multimedia safety campaign.

Park Ridge police have posted high citation numbers during the annual campaign in recent years. During the 2025 effort, the department issued 193 seat belt citations, 80 cellphone citations and made eight traffic arrests, according to a post-campaign report. The year before, officers wrote 176 seat belt citations, 89 cellphone citations and made six traffic arrests.

Tom Gadomski, executive officer at the Park Ridge Police Department, said in the department's August 2025 pre-campaign release that drivers "should expect strict enforcement of all traffic laws on Park Ridge roads every day."

The federally funded campaign also includes the national "Click It or Ticket" seat belt enforcement program. IDOT recommends designating a sober driver before drinking or using cannabis, using a rideshare service and taking a friend's keys if they are about to drive impaired. Residents who see a suspected impaired driver can call law enforcement to report it.

Park Ridge police have typically released local enforcement results one to two weeks after the campaign wraps.