Authorities plan to step up patrols of lakes and rivers this Labor Day weekend and they'll be looking for drunken boaters.
Police from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources also will check to see whether boaters have required safety equipment such as lifejackets. And they plan to patrol roadways in state parks for drunken drivers.
Last year, the Labor Day enforcement activity netted 33 arrests for operating a boat under the influence and nine arrests for driving under the influence.
Safety is the goal. There have been 25 boating deaths on Illinois waters since last Oct. 1.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
