Lawerence Synett / TribLocal reporter

     Crystal Lake is stepping up patrols through Labor Day weekend in an attempt to stop impaired drivers.

The department also plans a roadside safety checkpoint, but the date, time and location has yet to be determined, Commander Dan Dziewior said.

“With the increase in families getting together, time off from work and travel plans, we tend to see a lot more motorists drinking and driving,” Dziewior said. “These increased patrols are for one reason — to find impaired drivers.”

The statewide program is funded through grants from the Illinois Department of Transportation and allows police to use two to four extra officers on specific evenings or time periods that they consider the most hazardous.

Dziewior said the department already has used extra officers on three separate occasions.

“We had one night with no arrests, which is a good thing,” he said. “The other two, the extra folks out there specifically were able to find impaired drivers on the road.”

Police and the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists urge motorists to report suspected drunken drivers and be ready to describe the vehicle, its location and direction of travel.

AAIM’s Drunk Busters program offers a $100 reward to tipsters whose calls lead to DUI arrests.

“With the increase in traffic, there obviously is an increase in the amount of people out there,” Dziewior said. “If they see something that seems to be a dangerous situation, they should contact us right away. They need to be our eyes and ears out there.”

Tips for detecting impaired drivers include motorists:

• weaving or swerving in and out of the lane.

• weaving within the lane quite noticeably.

• traveling at speeds much slower than the flow of traffic.

• braking erratically or stopping in the lane.

• suddenly stopping for signal lights.

• remaining at the signal once it turns green.

• making wide turns and/or cutting the corner, striking the curb.

• having headlights off at night or high beams on.

• driving with turn signals on.

• straddling the center line of the road or lane lines.

• looking intoxicated — starring straight ahead, face close to the windshield, and appears to be sleepy.

• driving aggressively — speeding, tailgating and multiple lane changes or unsafe passing.

lsynett@tribune.com