Trucks aren't safe at 65 MPH

Gov. Quinn disappointingly signed into law a bill that increases the speed at which large tractor-trailer trucks are allowed to travel on Illinois' highways, jeopardizing the safety of Illinois roadway users.

Just a week earlier Gov. Quinn - to great media coverage and fanfare - talked extensively about the importance of keeping Illinois roads safe as he signed into law the bill to ban texting while driving.

Illinois had made significant strides in improving road safety, but allowing large trucks to travel faster on our highways is a significant step backward and perplexingly contrary to the Governor's very public commitment to keep our roads safe.

AAA is disappointed the governor succumbed to the pressure to sign this bill but would hope he would uphold his public safety image and order the Illinois State Police to have a zero tolerance enforcement policy for large trucks that travel over the 65 mph speed limit.

The mountain of evidence against this legislation does not bode well for the safety of Illinois motorists. This is not an indictment of truck drivers, the majority of whom are careful practitioners of road safety and protocol. But the danger of trucks traveling at faster speeds is explained by simple physics and cannot be overlooked. Large trucks traveling at higher speeds take longer to brake, and the increase from 55 to 65 mph increases a large truck's impact force by nearly 40 percent.

We urge all drivers to fully understand the gravity of this legislation and use extreme caution on our roadways - and to urge their legislators and the Governor to overturn this bill measure before it takes effect on January 1, 2010.

Brad Roeber

Regional President

AAA Chicago