A two-week traffic enforcement initiative targeting seat belt violators and drivers under the influence ended Sunday and led to 93 arrests and citations, according to an Evanston Police Department news release issued Tuesday.

“It was a very successful mission, based on the numbers,” Cmdr. Jay Parrott said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation provided a grant that funded the initiative, which ran from Dec. 19 to Jan. 1.

In total, eight people were arrested for driving under the influence, and five people were cited for failure to wear a seat belt, according to the news release.

The other 80 citations and arrests included 17 instances of speeding, drivers having no motor vehicle insurance, vehicle equipment violations and possession of cannabis.

“We were targeting seat belt violators and drunk drivers, but while officers are stopping somebody they might observe other violations inside the vehicle,” Parrott said.

Officers worked extra shifts for this initiative, Parrott said, setting up two seat belt compliance checkpoints and patrolling for intoxicated drivers between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Under the orders of the traffic sergeant, EPD officers particularly focused their efforts on New Year’s Eve and Dec. 23 – the last weekday before Christmas – to maximize the effectiveness of the initiative, Parrott added.

– Marshall Cohen