Racers in Illinois
 

This is a public service announcement!
>
> FYI Pass this on to your friends who drive in Illinois!!
> We Need to be Careful! Watch Construction Zones.
> -
> Photo Radar in Illinois- begins July 1st!!!! BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING LEAD FOOTS !.....
> Illinois will begin using photo radar in freeway work zones in July. One mile per hour over the speed limit and the machine will get you a nice$375.00 ticket in the mail. Beginning July 1st, the State of Illinois will begin using the speed cameras in areas designated as "Work Zones" on major freeways. Anyone caught by these devices will be mailed a $375.00 ticket for the FIRST offense. The SECOND offense will cost $1000.00 and comes with a 90-Day suspension. Drivers will also receive demerit points against their license, which allow insurance companies to raise Insurance rates.
>
> This is the harshest penalty structure ever set for a governmental unit involving PHOTO speed enforcement. The State already has two camera vans on line issuing tickets 24/7 in work zones with speed limits lowered to 45 MPH. Photos of both the Driver's face and License plate are taken. Pass this on to everyone you know who might be affected!!!
>
> http://www.snopes.com/politics/traffic/illinois.asp<http://www.snopes.com/politics/traffic/illinois.asp> TRUE
>

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

Also note there is NO cell phone use (hands free included) allowed in these work zones or school zones.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

Boy they've found a way to take the work out of that income source. I'm sure we'll see more of this type thing so the states can fill their accounts. Joe

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

Yep....they are coming.
Easy money maker for sure.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

One more way they continue to steal our Freedom and Liberties so many have fought and died for, and why??????????

Because they cannot quit spending money at any government level and we all just sit back and watch. It is up to us to change this, the state and federal "jobs-programs" that need to be privatized and get term limits made into law. Once that happens we may see a glimmer of hope for returning our Freedoms without the government trying to control our every move and "spread the wealth around" so it is "fair"....

God Bless this Country and let's not forget whe basis on which it was founded..........

Jok

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

And if you knew someone who was killed working on the roads you'd still feel this way? Come on folks, so they have a draconian law on the books to encourage people to obey a common sense speed limit when workers are present...slow down and give them a break (or so the slogan says). Some laws are necessary because some folks are simply too stupid to exercise good judgement...I get so tired of people driving in the harshest circumstances with a cell phone glued to their head or obviously web surfing or texting...

my 2 cents...

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

You guys can debate the politics; the rest of us will attempt to post useful information. Here's another recently-enacted Illinois traffic law of which most out-of-staters are unaware:

It is illegal to use the left hand lane, (of a divided highway), for any reason except to pass.

Bear in mind, the state of Illinois is flat broke. If you simply stick to the speed limits and warning signs while remembering they will write a ticket for absolutely ANYTHING, you'll be OK. However, they will use any tactic to get money. Recently, I was awarded an Illinois ticket while traveling in the right-hand lane at the speed limit on a deserted interstate at midnight. The violation? My license plate light was not bright enough!

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

Bret, your avatar is hare-larious....couldn't resist. You and Toby win the avatar prize IMHO

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

After I sent the governor a nice letter, I would stay out of Illinois and encourage everyone else to do the same. If you weren't doing anything wrong, the police surely don't need to see your license plate.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

Chris, I agree laws are required however those same people texting, speeding ect. never posessed common sense apparently it's no longer required. Having towed nearly 75,000 miles I've seen quite a few things that made me say "huh?" I believe it' was the great American...Ron White that said it...."you can't fix stupid". That being said I DO NOT speed in construction zones which here in Ohio is any paved road. Using common sense and being careful are not widely used skills anymore. I guess the tactic they're using bothers me more than the law their trying to enforce.... at least for now here in Buckeye country Barney still has to work for it.Joe For the record the worst offenders I see are the "Professional truck drivers" they'll damn near push you thru construction.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

Long ago, The National Motorists Association replaced the AAA as a true friend of the motoring public. (AAA, when they became nothing more than an insurance company, forgot about their original mission.)

The NMA site is loaded with good info regarding the scams listed above, plus speed trapping, "scameras", the huge business of ticket writing and more.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

I don't like the way they are doing it but I like the cell phone part. Any one who remebers Jon Christianson (SS/I racer from Mitchel South Dakota) knows what happens when idiots come into construction zones screwing with a cell phone. Any fine was not worth what happend there.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

I totally agree with not speeding through construction zones, or getting distracted by cell phones etc. But I do not think it should become the American way for local or county or state police to pull you over and issue tickets because they think your license plate lights aren't bright enough. Althought it would probably get me in more trouble, I would respectfully tell them they need to take that up with the USDOT (or whatever agency) that determines which size light bulbs go into a license plate frame, or parking lights, or tail lights, etc.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

I really hate the concept of photo revenue enhancement, but after logging a bunch of miles on the interstates I support anything that will keep a guy just trying to make a living from being flattened by someone doing something stupid.

However, Illinois is the WORST state for this to be used in. Their construction zones are a joke. If a project involves repairing seams along a ten mile stretch, every state I've seen sets up a zone for a couple of miles at a time where the work is progressing. It moves as the work does.

Not Illinois. It's a fifteen mile long work zone, where you'll see a pickup truck and three guys working after riding at 40 mph for 12 miles. Simply ridiculous and part of the mindset that allows idiots like those who gave Bret that ticket.

I'm pretty good at spending other peoples' money, but Brett, you really need to fight that citation. If the light was DOT/SAE approved there ain't no way in blazes a ticket would stand.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

I've seen that letter many times, I usually get it in a forwarded e-mail at least twice a year. I drive the expressways and tollways a lot and have never seen any cameras in any construction zones.

That being said, I do not speed in construction zones when workers are present. I have friends who work on road crews and know what they go through.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

I appreciate the sentiment, Dan, but I was smart enough NOT to fight it. This isn't about rights or freedom or all the other blather. This is about revenue with no restrictions. Anybody who argues that point...especially with a trooper or a judge...is an idiot.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

I would at least need them to show me the written law they were following to give such a rediculous citation.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

Bret
We call it a fishing expedition around here as it happens all the time EVERYDAY. I cant tell you how many repair orders I write every year for one bulb or some other minor deal that the car owner was written a ticket for. We or another shop write a RO and replace the bulb and charge the customer a few bucks. All of our local counties dismiss the charge with a repair order. If you fix it yourself no dice. They (Cops) really dont give a damn about your light or any of that stuff its a excuse to legally pull you over. What they are looking for is the good stuff that pays well like DUI or no insurance. But when you are out late at night and have not been drinking, dont have drugs or guns and spot lights in the car and have insurance they are forced to write you for something to justify the stop. So they write you the BS ticket. The other new BS deal in our great state is all of the small towns adopting the state code. What this does is they can write tickets and keep all of the money for themselves with out giving any to the county or state if you pay the ticket at town hall. Nobody fights the tickets because if you lose it goes against you on your license. If you just pay it the state and your insurance co. never know about it because the small towns are not required to report to the state violations of thier local "city" laws. Another little piece of good info for anybody who gets a ticket in IL is this. Every county in IL has whats called "Court supervision" and all you have to do is ask for it. Some counties it even states on the back of the ticket how to do it. What it amounts to is they add some more money to the ticket, you pay it and they set a time period (usually 3 months) if you dont get another ticket in that county during the time period it all goes away and the Sec of states office ( where we go for our DL and tags) never knows about it and therefore your insurance company does not either. You can be on court supevison on every county in IL at the same time. But you can only get it once every 365 days in each county. I have never got a ticket. But know plenty who have. My son got a ticket for 93 in a 55 at 16 having only had his license for maybe 2 months. We had to goto court and asked the states attourney if he was eligable. She said sure but get ready he is going to get a chewing from the judge. I could not believe it how easy it was. He took his butt chewing paid 250 and stayed out of Marion Co for 3 months. The hardest part for him was no driving for 90 days imposed by ME! I will give anybody a hundred bucks if you can drive past a Centrallia IL cop with a light out and not get a ticket they are the worst for these BS fishing expedition tickets

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

By the way the tag light has to be bright enough to read the complete tag for I think 30 feet in the dark of night. Usually what happens is the clear lens over the tag light bulb fogs over much the same way the new plastic headlights fog over after a few years. This blocks some of the light and next thing you know there is a cop at your door telling you about it and giving you a little paper work. 5 min with some light rubbing compound on the lens will fix the problem and prevent another late night road side chat LOL. or you can spend 25 or more to get a new one. For anybody who is thinking about being a smart as and putting a super bright light on your tag. DONT then they write you for the tag light being too bright. (been there with a customers kids car after he got the too dim ticket)

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

They need to make that a law full time, not just in work zones, in every state......

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

In a perfect world they would make being stupid a ticketable offense; of course that might just balance their budgets (oh wait they'd still out spend the revenue) lol.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

I was a volunteer Firefighter for 20 years and I know what the workers face on those highways and they need all the help we can give them. That being said, I feel a compromise would also be that the speed limit be met in the middle at 55 anytime workers are not on the scene and the cameras be shut off during that time.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

If you are ever on I64 in IL. About the 67-68 mile marker there is a birdge going over a road and a set of RR tracks. If you look the Gaurd rail is still torn up to this day at least it was the last time I passed it. 2 years ago I was winching a car up onto my rollback when a guy on a cell phone ran off the right side of the road. He hit the car I was winching onto the truck so hard it put it through the headache rack of the roll back bed and the top of the cab of the truck then over the front and into the gaurdrail. Me and the guy that owned the car are lucky to be alive and uninjured. I decided right then that would be the last car I would tow as I have had way too many close calls when doing it . I put the check from the insurance co in the bank sold my other truck and now I call someone else to tow them in. Scared does not even come close to describing me that night. Too many stupid people for me to keep doing it.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

The thing that bothers me most about situations like these is that you have to now prove y ourself innocent instead of law enforcement proving you guilty. I am afraid our "free" country has turned into a police state. I live in WV and it is a rarity now that I drive anywhere that I don't see a police car, and all the agencies from the state police down through counties and cities are still wanting to hire more officers. There is no way to make a law for everything, but that seems to be what is happening.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

As a point of information the work area reduced speed limit is in effect WHETHER OR NOT THE WORK ZONE IS ACTIVE at least in New York and Florida. I was the recepient of a "faster than posted limit" speeding ticket in an inactive work zone. There were no visible signs and all the road work equipment, cones and barriers were neatly stacked on the grass off to the side of the shoulder. There was absolutely no indication that it was an active work zone and there were no personnel working or present. There were police personnel parked under the next overpass and stopping groups of vehicles as they passed. The officer told me there was a speed limit sign attached to a chain link fence that I had failed to notice. (We circled back and couldn't find the sign he was talking about but the squad had moved on and there were no police there anymore) Now I'm sure this was just a revenue producing b***s*** road stop but the lesson that the work zone speed limit law also applies to an inactive work zone at least in New York and Florida is what should be kept in mind. As another poster aptly put it..."Revenue with no restriction"

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

You note an important point, Jim. The same applies in Illinois; it doesn't matter if it's an active work zone. If the signs are up, it's fair game.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

It's odd that being in California where most of these ideas get started the city of Los Angeles is getting rid of it's red light cameras. Only in LA would the cost to run the cameras exceed the revenue produced by about 1 million dollars a year.
I'll bet the service contract was full of payoffs and bribes.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

hey joe you couldnt be farther off the profesional drivers are the ones that leave plenty of room just so some idiot 4 wheeler that dont know what left lane ends means can cut him off then slam on the brakes expecting the pro driver to stop 40tons in 5 feet that is why it seems we keep things close oh and by the way i have 3-1/2 million miles accident free and no speeding tickets on my record and i also know my width is 8-1/2 feet so i know it will fit in a 10 ft lane so i dont need to slow down to 30mph in a 45 zone because i,m scared it wont fit between the barriers and a michigan st study showed 90%of truck -car accidents caused by the car you just notice the trucks because they are bigger and i wont even start on the stupid laws that are going to force the real profesionals out of this bussiness leaving the trucking industrie even more in demand of drivers than it already is
i would love to see the racers have to take the tests and meet the reqirements i do them totor homes and stackers would disapear real quick lots of pit space would become available

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

Many driver that have toter also have class 1 licenses or CDL.

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

According to the public information available in LA there were over 30,000 red light camera violations issued in 2010. With an approximate $450 fine for red light and $150 fine for rolling right turn infractions that gives you some idea of the gross potential revenue. The maintenance contract allegedly only returns 10% of the collected revenue to the city. Since more than 50% of the issued summons remain unpaid the only beneficiaries are the Arizona company that was awarded the installation/maintenance contract and any government officials who may have benefited by the absurd contract terms. Since the court judges are allegedly not enforcing the issued summons (maybe they know something the public doesn't) that results in the monetary deficit. The present contract is expiring in July or August and there are still council members who are pushing for renewal. And some people seem surprised that California is broke......

Re: Racers in Illinois
 

As an interesting sidelight, utility crews in my area often set up temporary work zones for activities that take 4-6 hours. Many of the local municipalities will set up radar units in those areas (they know because of the permit notification) while we're working there, it keeps me a little more safe so I'm happy with it.