Some 65 motorists driving in Evanston the last couple of weeks learned an expensive lesson from the police department: Fasten your seat belts and put down those cell phones.
Between May 15 and May 30, the Evanston Police Department participated in the nationwide annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign regarding seat belt usage and wrote 40 citations for seat-belt violations in the process.
And on top of that, officers cited another 25 drivers for cellular phone violations.
“It was a successful campaign this year, and we believe through our enforcement efforts, we helped save lives,” said EPD Sgt. Tracy Williams, supervisor of the department’s Traffic Unit.
“We know seat belts save lives in vehicle crashes,” Williams said. “Issuing tickets was not our goal, but it was a way to remind people of the importance of such a simple action.”
In addition to seat belt and cell phone violations, the department also recorded the following activity during the campaign:
2 citations for Failure to Restrain a Child
6 arrests for Driving Under the Influence
6 citations for No Proof of Auto Insurance
3 Arrests for Driving on a Suspended License
2 Possession of Cannabis citations
10 other miscellaneous citations
Bike cops
I received a seatbelt ticket while wearing my seatbelt. I had all my evidence ready to fight in court, except I was sent to 2100 ridge where they make their own rules up and the hearings aren’t being heard by an elected judge. In order for me to get my case heard before a real judge with the ticketing officer present in court I had to pay something like 140 dollars which I would not get back even if the ticket was dismissed. I’ve pretty much learned that every time I go to a civic center administrative hearing, I have become a victim of the city of Evanston’s cash grab