State Police Cameras Track Speeders in Ill. Construction Zones

Cameras set up along specific Illinois highway construction zones will allow the Illinois State Police to track speeders and subsequently send violaters a ticket in the mail along with their photograph as proof.

In March the Illinois State Police will begin staffing vans equipped with the radar cameras, but will not stop drivers found exceeding the generally 45 mph speed limit in work zones. Instead, tickets bearing a photograph of the driver and the vehicle’s license plate will be sent by certified mail to motorists within six business days, according to the Associated Press.

For the first violation the fine will $375, while those found guilty a second time within a two-year period face a $1,000 fine and a 90-day loss of their license.

The fines are mandated by the state Legislature to let motorists know that we’re serious about safety, according to Illinois State Trooper Jeff Darko, who heads up the photo enforcement program. The radar equipment is similar to that already in place to monitor payments at Chicago-area toll booths and traffic signal violations in Chicago.

Darko added that there were 26 fatalities in Illinois highway work zones last year _ with just one of the dead being a worker. He said that accidents in Illinois highway work zones killed 39 people, including two workers, in 2004, while in 2003 the death toll was 44 people, five of them workers.

Vans initially will be stationed around the state. One van will be stationed along Cook County highways, one on northern Illinois tollways and one south of Interstate 80. The van’s first deployment in the Metro East area near St. Louis will be along Interstate 64 in St. Clair County.

State police estimate that for every ticket a trooper could issue in the traditional manner, the new vans will be able to issue 16 tickets.

Tickets mailed to alleged speeders will include a wide-angle shot of the vehicle, a picture of the license plate, a picture of the driver’s face, location, actual speed and posted speed limit. The vans originally were to have been deployed last July, but Darko said evaluating bids from vendors and contract details delayed the start.

As part of the program, Dallas-based ACS State and Local Solutions will charge the state $2,950 a month for the vans, plus a processing fee of $15 per ticket.

In areas where the vans will be stationed, Darko said, signs will be posted about one mile ahead of photo-enforcement zones alerting motorists that radar looms. About half a mile from the work zone, motorists should be able to read their speed on a lighted indicator board atop the vans.

Although law enforcers say cameras are the most efficient way to catch dangerous drivers and criminals, some argue that the cameras are an unwarranted invasion of privacy by the government.

Source: Associated Press (Newsfinder)

Topics Law Enforcement Illinois Construction