 "The public should know it is critical that they
slow down to help protect the lives of the dedicated workers who are
improving our roadways," said District 9 Capt. James Wolf. "Photo
enforcement gives the Illinois State Police an additional tool for
enforcing work zone speed limits. Drivers should be aware speed
limits will be aggressively enforced. District 9 will also be
strictly enforcing Scott's Law violations, which make it an offense
if a driver fails to slow down and, if safe to do so, change lanes
when police squad cars or other emergency vehicles with flashing
lights are on the shoulder."
Motorists, as well as workers, are at risk when driving in work
zones that include narrower lanes, lane shifts, pavement edge
drop-offs, closed shoulders and possible lane closures. Statistics
show that 90 percent of work zone fatalities are the motorists.
Driving at slower speeds allows motorists the time needed to react
to the changing conditions.
"Every year, there
are more than 7,000 crashes and 2,800 traffic-related injuries that
occur in Illinois work zones," said Illinois Department of
Transportation Secretary Milton R. Sees. "However, through
engineering and enforcement efforts, steady progress has been made
in reducing the number of fatalities in our work zones."
The following indicates work zone fatalities in Illinois
during the past seven years:
-
2001 -- 36 fatalities, including one worker
-
2002 -- 31 fatalities, including one worker
-
2003 -- 44 fatalities, including five workers
-
2004 -- 38 fatalities, including two workers
-
2005 -- 25 fatalities, including one worker
-
2006 -- 29 fatalities, including one worker
-
2007 -- 21 fatalities, including two workers
[to top of second column] |
 The Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of
Transportation want voluntary compliance with the work zone speed
limits to help further reduce work zone crashes and fatalities.
Photo speed enforcement vans are a state-of-the-art tool staffed by
specially trained troopers to achieve this goal.
The marked white photo speed enforcement vans are equipped with
the latest in photo radar technology designed to record the speed of
vehicles and to capture clear images of the driver and the license
plate. Tickets are then sent by certified mail to drivers within 14
business days.
Under the toughened work zone speeding fines, the first-time
offender faces a $375 fine, while second-time offenders face a
$1,000 fine and a 90-day suspension of their driver's license.
Anyone convicted of hitting a construction worker faces a $10,000
fine and up to 14 years in prison.
Signs will be placed in project locations where photo enforcement
will be occurring. Be on the lookout for the photo enforcement van
and slow down. "If you are driving at excessive speeds in work
zones, you put your own life and the lives of others at risk," said
Wolf.
[Text from file received from Illinois
State Police District 9]
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