High gas prices haven't slowed down suburban speeders

Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Brian Ley chuckled a bit at the thought of motorists slowing down to conserve gas.

Not happening, he said. "We'd appreciate it if that were the case, and we're hopeful it would lead to that."

But if DuPage County, with almost a million people, is a benchmark for the rest of the suburbs, Ley's chuckle is justified: The number of speeding tickets has remained virtually the same for the past three years, averaging, for instance, about 21,000 during the spring, according to figures provided to the Daily Herald by Court Clerk Chris Kachiroubas.

A similar pattern is reported in Kane County, where law enforcement writes about 8,000 during April, May and June.

That's while the price of gas has almost doubled over the three years, and studies show the optimum fuel-efficiency speed for most vehicles is less than 55 mph.

"There are two forces fighting each other when you determine optimum conditions," said Michael Douba, a mechanical engineer at Argonne National Laboratory's Center for Transportation Research near Darien. "With fuel efficiency, at high speeds you experience aerodynamic losses, and at low speeds, the engine is not being operated efficiently."

Further, the speeding tickets written indicate no drop in the mph over the limit motorists are traveling. Each quarter, more tickets are issued for speeders going 15 to 20 mph over the limit than for any other speeding category, according to Kachiroubas' data.

Between April and June this year, 13,539 tickets were issued to drivers going 15 to 20 mph over the limit. During that same time period only 3,782 tickets were given to drivers speeding in excess of 1 to 14 mph. In all, 23,006 speeding tickets were issued during those three months.

Speeding fines are generally capped at a maximum of $500 and start at around $75, but judges have discretion about the amount levied, court officials said.

"Everything has remained status quo," said Naperville Police Cmdr. Greg Waitkus, who heads the department's traffic division. "We have not noticed a decrease in vehicle traffic and the amount of citations we're issuing, and our enforcement practices have not changed."

Wheaton defense attorney Joe Solon Jr. said he hasn't noticed a decrease in his speeding clientele.

"If you're asking me if I've seen a drop-off because of gas prices, the answer is no," he said. "Where I have seen drop-offs is in school zones and construction zones because drivers have become really aware of those penalties. My clients seem to be less concerned about gas prices when speeding than getting run over by other traffic."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=222701">How to save on gas <span class="date">[7/23/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>