Speeding is tied to 55% of crash deaths in Illinois. So why does it persist?
Do you feel like an outlier traveling 70 mph on Illinois toll roads? Several Daily Herald readers do and asked why drivers are getting away with 90 mph.
“Over the past months, we have both noticed that the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) has turned into the ‘wild west,’” Laurence Salasche of Libertyville recently wrote. “Speed limits seem to be mere suggestions and are grossly ignored.”
“Where is the enforcement to make our roads safer?” Salasche asked. “We never see marked Illinois State Police squad cars either cruising or along the shoulder and can’t remember the last time we’ve seen anyone pulled over. We drive into Michigan and their trooper cars are prevalent and noticeable.”
Streamwood’s Dave Bianchi also contacted the Daily Herald about NASCAR wannabes on toll roads.
“Like many drivers, we are concerned over the excessive speed of some drivers on the tollways,” Bianchi said.
“As I try to keep up with traffic at a speed of 70 mph, we are consistently passed up by drivers probably driving 90-plus mph. I can’t remember the last time I saw a car pulled over for speeding.”
“With the technology today, why couldn’t the state use drones to patrol it?” he asked.
In Illinois last year, 1,241 people were killed in vehicle crashes, and 55% of those deaths were speeding-related, ISP said.
Who are these scofflaws? Significant segments are younger and male.
In 2022, nearly one-quarter of drivers involved in fatal crashes between ages 18 and 44 were speeding. Also, 35% of male drivers ages 15 to 20, and 32% of male drivers ages 21 to 24 involved in fatal crashes were speeding, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports.
State police consider speeding to be one of the “Fatal Four” violations, along with driving under the influence, improper safety belt usage, and distracted driving, Sgt. Melissa Albert-Lopez said.
Through traffic stops, crash investigations, work zone speed vans and enforcement details, state police issued 75,209 speeding citations and 76,673 warnings in 2023.
As of June 30, those tallies were 34,744 citations and 35,349 warnings this year, she said.
IDOT, the NHTSA, the tollway and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police promoted a “Speeding Catches Up With You” safety campaign last week in Joliet.
Speeders often “become overconfident in their skills to evade accidents and they overcompensate,” ILACP Executive Director Kenny Winslow said. “Additionally, it reduces your field of vision when you're going faster; it makes it harder to see people, you can overdrive the technology in your car (such as) headlights, etc.”
Another flaw is “driving too fast for the environment, whether that's rain or snow or just pavement condition. Bumps … that pop up can make you lose control of the vehicle,” Winslow said.
“That's why speeding is the No. 1 factor in all accidents involving injuries and deaths. When you look at what can we address to avoid these fatalities — it's slowing down.”
Experts say empty roads during COVID-19 encouraged speeding and the trend hasn’t let up since. At the same time, some police agencies are underfunded and must prioritize where to deploy officers.
“Roadway safety is always the tollway’s top priority and the tollway urges all drivers to follow posted speed limits, particularly in work zones, to protect themselves, roadway workers and other drivers,” spokesman Dan Rozek said.
Got an opinion on speeding? Drop an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com.
Your voice
Since May 1, Route 31 in South Elgin has been totally closed by IDOT to replace a culvert, reader Phillip Krysek writes.
“When can we expect this project to be completed?”
Work on the $1.5 million project began in April, IDOT spokeswoman Maria Castaneda explained.
“Shortly after work began, there were several issues with known and unknown utilities in the area which caused the project to be delayed. Most of the utility conflicts have been resolved. We expect the other utilities will be relocated over the next few weeks and work on our project will resume. At this time, we anticipate our project will be completed and the road reopened in December.”