Illinois State Police Troop 8 Commander Capt. Casey Faro has announced the ISP will conduct Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement patrols in Madison and St. Clair counties during January.

ACE patrols allow the ISP to focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to violations associated with impaired driving and illegal transportation or consumption of alcohol or drugs.

Faro said the ISP has zero tolerance for impaired driving. Officers working the detail will be watching for motorists who show signs of impaired driving, operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, and transporting open alcoholic beverages, as well as improper seat belt and child restraint usage, distracted driving, and other Illinois Vehicle Code violations.

Alcohol and drug impairment are estimated to be a factor in more than 47 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. There is one alcohol-related traffic fatality every 39 minutes in the United States.

Faro said the ACE program allows officers to work even harder at removing dangerous DUI offenders from the road. The project is funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.