Now that July is approaching, thought this re-post might be appropriate....
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Now that July is approaching, thought this re-post might be appropriate....
Camera vans to catch speeders
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By Jennifer Lebovich
Tribune staff reporter
March 30, 2005, 4:50 PM CST
Two camera-equipped vans will begin patrolling highway work zones in July, snapping images of drivers violating the 45 m.p.h posted speed limit, officials of the Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois State Toll Highway Authority announced today.
The vans will patrol expressway and tollway construction and maintenance zones.
Signs will warn drivers of the photo radar system, which will take a picture of the offending driver, his or her vehicle and record the vehicle's speed, officials said. Drivers captured on camera will be sent a ticket in the mail.
Work zone speeding fines increased last year to a $375 penalty on the first offense, almost double the previous $200 fine. A second ticket can result in a fine of up to $1,000 and a 90-day driver's license suspension.
Motorists who strike a highway worker can be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to as much as 14 years in prison, officials said.
The announcement represents yet another use of technology by authorities to crack down on traffic scofflaws.
Chicago has been installing stationary cameras at busy intersections to catch and ticket red-light runners. During approximately the first year of the program, cameras at 10 locations had generated 67,400 citations, city officials said last fall.
Preventing work zone accidents was the subject of this morning's news conference involving officials of IDOT and the Illinois State Police at the Dan Ryan Expressway reconstruction project on Chicago's South Side.
"People speeding in work zones and acting carelessly will not be tolerated," said Kim Morreale, IDOT's director of external affairs. "Simply slowing down and paying attention will save lives."
Separately, at a news conference in Peoria, officials said a car's owner would not be liable for a ticket if someone else was driving the vehicle at the time of the alleged offense.
The cameras would be used only when workers are present, and the 2004 law that established the program requires that signs be posted at work zones patrolled by cameras, officials said.
IDOT Secretary Tim Martin said in Peoria that the state does not yet have a price tag for the equipment, but "it's not overly expensive." He said troopers would start with a pilot program to resolve any issues that might arise that could later be challenged in court.
In 2004, 39 people were killed in work zones in Illinois, mostly as a result of speeding, officials said. Two of the victims were highway workers, and the others, drivers and passengers of vehicles involved in crashes.
Last year's fatalities had decreased slightly from 2003, when 44 people were killed in work zones, including five workers, officials said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune
Advertisement
By Jennifer Lebovich
Tribune staff reporter
March 30, 2005, 4:50 PM CST
Two camera-equipped vans will begin patrolling highway work zones in July, snapping images of drivers violating the 45 m.p.h posted speed limit, officials of the Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois State Toll Highway Authority announced today.
The vans will patrol expressway and tollway construction and maintenance zones.
Signs will warn drivers of the photo radar system, which will take a picture of the offending driver, his or her vehicle and record the vehicle's speed, officials said. Drivers captured on camera will be sent a ticket in the mail.
Work zone speeding fines increased last year to a $375 penalty on the first offense, almost double the previous $200 fine. A second ticket can result in a fine of up to $1,000 and a 90-day driver's license suspension.
Motorists who strike a highway worker can be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to as much as 14 years in prison, officials said.
The announcement represents yet another use of technology by authorities to crack down on traffic scofflaws.
Chicago has been installing stationary cameras at busy intersections to catch and ticket red-light runners. During approximately the first year of the program, cameras at 10 locations had generated 67,400 citations, city officials said last fall.
Preventing work zone accidents was the subject of this morning's news conference involving officials of IDOT and the Illinois State Police at the Dan Ryan Expressway reconstruction project on Chicago's South Side.
"People speeding in work zones and acting carelessly will not be tolerated," said Kim Morreale, IDOT's director of external affairs. "Simply slowing down and paying attention will save lives."
Separately, at a news conference in Peoria, officials said a car's owner would not be liable for a ticket if someone else was driving the vehicle at the time of the alleged offense.
The cameras would be used only when workers are present, and the 2004 law that established the program requires that signs be posted at work zones patrolled by cameras, officials said.
IDOT Secretary Tim Martin said in Peoria that the state does not yet have a price tag for the equipment, but "it's not overly expensive." He said troopers would start with a pilot program to resolve any issues that might arise that could later be challenged in court.
In 2004, 39 people were killed in work zones in Illinois, mostly as a result of speeding, officials said. Two of the victims were highway workers, and the others, drivers and passengers of vehicles involved in crashes.
Last year's fatalities had decreased slightly from 2003, when 44 people were killed in work zones, including five workers, officials said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune
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