McHenry Co. targeting sloppy drivers

If you crash into a guardrail while driving along a McHenry County road, repairing dents and scrapes on your vehicle may not be the only thing that's going to cost you an arm and a leg.

Last week, county lawyers filed small-claims lawsuits totaling almost $3,000 against a pair of drivers involved in collisions that damaged county-owned guardrails, part of an ongoing effort to recover public funds spent to repair damage caused by vehicle mishaps.

"Just like if you hit my car and I shouldn't have to pay for the damages you cause, the taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for someone else's accidents if they hit and damage county property," First Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Thomas Carroll said.

The cases filed this week involve $1,380 in damage caused to a guardrail in a Jan. 27 crash near Randall and Miller roads in Lake in the Hills and $1,581 in damages from a crash near McHenry. Both cases are scheduled to appear in court next month.

Carroll said suing usually is the last option after the McHenry County Division of Transportation makes other efforts to get the drivers to pay for the damages without going to court.

"If they get no response, they send it to us," he said.

Another reason to drive safely: Small claims lawsuits aren't the only way the county could make you pay for poor driving, especially this month.

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Corrections, last week launched a 26-day campaign targeting speeders and others driving dangerously.

The campaign will focus on four problem areas of the county -- and no, they're not going to tell you which ones in advance. It includes putting additional deputies on the roads to focus on traffic enforcement.

In a statement announcing the campaign, Sheriff Keith Nygren said visible enforcement programs like the one his department is conducting this month are more about changing driver behavior and attitude than dishing out punishment to speeders and other violators.

"Many lives could be saved by changing public attitudes regarding risk taking behaviors such as speeding, impaired driving and non-use of safety belts and child safety seats," he said.