Information

What Is The AMBER Plan?

The AMBER Plan (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response), is statewide tool law enforcement agencies can use to help locate children who have been abducted.

The plan, which was developed by the Illinois State Police, utilizes broadcasting companies (radio and television) to put out pertinent information regarding an abducted child. To use the AMBER Plan, the abducted child must be:
    1.) under the age of 16 or have a proven mental or physical disability; and
    2.) the police must believe that the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death.

Basically, when an incident occurs and the above criteria are met, the investigating police agency notifies the Illinois State Police, who in turn works with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) to disseminate the information to broadcasters.

Hopefully, the Alsip Police Department will never have to use the plan. Nevertheless, it's a great tool to have available.

The AMBER Plan is so named after a nine year old child who was abducted and killed in Texas in 1996. More information about it can be found on the Illinois State Police web site.                                                  
                                                                                                                                                           

Child Restraint Law 

The Illinois law regarding the use of child restraint systems was changed. The changes went into effect on January 1^st, 2004. This new law contains some age changes and an addition pertaining to a child's weight. The information on this page contains these changes.

CHILD RESTRAINT LAW
The Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act requires anyone who transports children in Illinois in non-commercial vehicles to do so in the following manner:

• Children under age 8 must be secured in an approved child restraint system, more commonly known as a child safety seat. Child safety seats include infant seats, convertible seats (rear facing for infants and forward facing for toddlers) and booster seats that are used with the vehicle lap and shoulder belt system.
• Children weighing more than 40 pounds may be transported in the back seat of a motor vehicle while wearing only a lap belt if the back seat is not equipped with a lap and shoulder belt system for booster seat installation.
• Children ages 8 through 15 must be secured either in a safety seat or by a safety belt in any position in the vehicle.
• The parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of 8 years is responsible for providing a child safety seat to anyone who transports his or her child.
• Every person under the age of 18 years who transports a child 8 years of age and older (up to 18 years) is responsible for securing that child in a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt.

Those found in violation of the law the first time will be fined $50, which is waived upon proof of possession of an approved seat. The fine for subsequent violations is $100.

Children with physical disabilities that prevent the use of standard safety seats are exempt from the provisions of the law if the disability is duly certified by a physician.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's web site has plenty of additional information relating to child safety seats, including a usage chart (which includes weight considerations) and a One Minute Safety Seat Checklist.

PLEASE NOTE: It is nationally recommended that all children age 12 and under ride in the back seat.

SEAT BELT LAW
Illinois law requires that safety belts (seat belts) must be worn by all drivers and front seat passengers 6 years of age and over even if the vehicle has air bags. It is the responsibility of the driver to see that all front seat passengers ages 6 thru 15 obey this law. Anyone found guilty of disobeying this law may have to pay up to $55 for the fine and court costs.

If the driver is under age 18, the number of passengers is limited to one in the front seat and to the number of safety belts in the back seat(s). Exceptions are motorcycles and second division vehicles containing only a front seat. In a second division vehicle, more than one passenger is allowed, provided that each passenger is in a properly secured safety belt. In addition, if the driver is under age 18, all passengers under age 18 must wear safety belts. Violators of this law may have to pay up to $55 in fines and court costs.
                                                                                                                                                         

DUI Law                                                                                                                                      

Since 1997, the legal limit of intoxication in Illinois is a .08 BAC (Blood Alcohol Content). In fact, .08 is the legal limit in all 50 states.

A persons BAC is determined by the amount of alcohol in the body compared with the total volume of blood. .08 is no arbitrary number. Years of medical and scientific research have shown that .08 BAC is the level at which driving skills are proven to be impaired.

Research also shows that states with a .08 BAC experience a significant decline in alcohol-related crashes, injuries, and deaths. They do so primarily because .08 makes all motorists, even habitual drunk drivers, far more reluctant to drink and drive.

Exactly how fast you reach a BAC of .08 is a tough question. It varies from person to person. The effect of alcohol on an individual is determined primarily by two factors: the amount of alcohol consumed and the rate at which it is absorbed by the body. Other contributing factors include gender, body weight, alcohol tolerance, mood, environment, and the amount of food consumed. As you can see, there is no hard and fast rule that you can depend on to figure your BAC. There are tables and calculators that you can learn from, but they are not a defense for DUI.
Click here for an on-line calculator to estimate your BAC.

The only way to rid the body of alcohol is time. Fresh air, coffee, showers, and food cannot help a person sober up. It takes about one hour for the body to metabolize one drink. Each of the following has comparable amount of alcohol and count as one drink: one 12-ounce beer, one 5-ounce glass of wine or one 1.5-ounce shot of hard liquor.