St. Patrick’s Day sober driving campaign leads to 194 citations in Evanston

Police issued 194 traffic citations as a result of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” initiative this St. Patrick’s Day weekend in north suburban Evanston.

The Evanston Police Department Traffic Unit participated in the initiative Friday and Saturday, in an effort to increase traffic safety during the holiday weekend, Evanston police said.

The most common violations over the weekend involved seat belts, speeding and cell phones. Police issued 79 citations for failure to wear a seatbelt, 41 citations for speeding and 36 citations for cell phone use, police said.

One driver was found to have an open container of alcohol, and another person was arrested for being found in possession of 33 grams of marijuana, police said.

Another 13 citations were given to drivers who were found to be driving without a license, without insurance or with a suspended license. Six drivers were cited for failing to properly secure a child passenger, police said.

There were 18 citations issued categorized as miscellaneous, police said.

The initiative, administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation, was funded by federal traffic safety funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.