“Dangerous.” “Truly crazy.” “Racetrack.”
Those are just a few of the comments from Daily Herald readers fed up with speeding on local highways and toll roads following a July 29 column on the topic.
Driver Marsha Bundt thinks “the superfast driving that I have been seeing — along with weaving in and out of lanes (and) cutting off other drivers — is worrisome. I often feel like I’m on a racetrack on the expressways.”
The Hoffman Estates resident added, “I have seen some scary driving on local roads too. For example, on Ela Road (which has some hills and blind spots) people pass others going the speed limit. I recently saw someone pass another car ahead of me … right in downtown Palatine!”
One reader compared Illinois highways to the Autobahn in Germany.
And Jeff Burkholder of Geneva said “I have been driving for over 50 years all over the U.S. and some countries in Europe. I have not seen anything to compare to what has evolved on the Chicago area highways since COVID-19.
“The most concerning element of the way some are driving is not one going 90-plus mph in the left lane, but those passing on the right and others weaving in and out of lanes indiscriminately. I’m truly amazed there aren’t more accidents and deaths.”
Others sought more enforcement.
“We travel regularly on I-90 from Elgin to northern Wisconsin, and I can’t remember seeing a state trooper on that road, except when they’re called out to tend to the smoking wreckage of a horrendous accident,” T.K. Petersen said.
“This is a serious situation. The state needs to beef up its state police force in our area, or we will be seeing more and more fatal accidents on our area highways.”
When Jim Guernsey of Pingree Grove and his wife turn onto the tollway, they wonder “why is there such rampant speeding, and more importantly, why is nothing being done about it? I have yet to see a police officer pull anyone over on I-90 in the last 10 years,” Guernsey said.
Frank Constant of West Dundee drove to Niagara Falls, New York, recently.
“We took I-90, I-294, and I-80/90,” he recounted. “We saw zero police cars in Illinois. We saw police cars parked on the interstates and moving with traffic in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.”
Asked about speeding concerns, Illinois State Police Chief Public Information Officer Melaney Arnold said the agency is strategically deploying troopers amid staffing issues.
“As everything changes over time, so too, must ISP. Through a data-driven approach, ISP has allocated assets throughout the state where they are most needed. On Jan. 1, 2023, ISP moved from 21 patrol districts across the state to 11 patrol troops. Moving to (patrol) troops enables more officers to be available to respond to calls for service 24 hours a day,” Arnold said.
“This modernized patrol structure allows ISP to better meet the needs of the public while combating a shortage of law enforcement officers seen across the country.”
The agency has “Fatal Four Teams” deployed across the state that enforce speeding, failure to wear seat belts, driving under the influence and distracted driving laws, Arnold added.
ISP also conducts Special Traffic Enforcement Patrols monthly across Illinois that focus on “Fatal Four” violations, she said.
Several readers recommended using technology such as cameras to deter scofflaws.
“Cameras could be placed in various locations and moved from time to time. The violators would be mailed a hefty fine and threat of losing their license,” Jim McKevitt of Naperville suggested.
Chicago uses speed cameras at more than 160 locations near parks and schools to issue tickets to violators.
But current Illinois law prohibits license plate readers being used to enforce petty offenses, such as speeding, on expressways and highways, Arnold said. The technology is allowed for investigating violent crimes, including shootings and carjackings.
ISP patrols more than 300,000 miles of total roadway, including 2,185 miles of interstate highways and 15,969 miles of state highways, Arnold noted. In 2023, ISP issued 151,631 citations/warnings for speeding.