Legislation would rule out supervision for some speeders

SPRINGFIELD - Drivers who get caught speeding more than 31 mph over the limit on the highway or 25 mph over in urban areas wouldn't be eligible for court supervision under a plan now awaiting Gov. Pat Quinn's review.

State Rep. Sidney Mathias, a Buffalo Grove Republican, sponsored the plan following reports that a girl last year was killed in a car accident by a driver who received court supervision for speeding seven times without his license being taken away.

The Illinois House approved the plan by a 92-11 vote Wednesday.

Now, drivers are eligible for supervision unless they're going more than 40 mph over the limit. With court supervision, a violation is removed from a driver's record if he or she does not have another violation within a set time.

"We're just lowering the bar," Mathias said.

The proposal was questioned by state Rep. David Harris, an Arlington Heights Republican, who said the problem seemed to be more about how many times a person got caught speeding, not how fast he or she was going.

"It seems to me, that's what we need to solve," Harris said.

The proposal had already been approved by the Senate and now goes to Quinn for final review.