As of Monday, March 1, 2021, Chicagoans can now be fined for driving as little as 6mph over the speed limit. After the deadliest year for Illinois drivers in 13 years, these stricter Chicago speed camera rules aim to encourage safer driving and discourage speeding.
The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) reported that traffic fatalities were up 35% through the end of November 2020, with 120 fatal crashes. During the same time period in 2019, a total of 89 traffic deaths were reported.
Many people believe that the Coronavirus pandemic has played a part in the uptick in reckless driving and speeding. Since more remote work and at-home learning have caused less traffic congestion, speeders are treating red lights, speed limits, and stop signs as suggested guidelines rather than tools that help prevent serious accidents.
During a grace period that began in January of this year, warnings were issued to drivers up until March 1. More than 52,000 warning notices were sent out in the first week of January to drivers that were found speeding. The warning period was intended to get people used to the fact the city will be more strict with sending out tickets if they are caught speeding by red-light cameras or other traffic cameras.
From this week forward, drivers will get a $35 speeding ticket for going any speed 6 to 9 mph over the posted speed limit. If you drive 11 mph over the limit, you will be fined $100.
While there are some negatives to such a policy, when it comes to safety, the benefits are pretty significant. The hope is that word of these new safety measures will spread fast and cause a lot of motorists to change their behavior. City officials seem to recognize that monetary incentives are a good motivator for drivers to be more mindful of speed limits and resume driving with more caution.
In November of 2020, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot recommended the new fines as part of the 2021 budget package. After last year’s $1.2 billion shortfall in the city budget, the effort to address this was approved by the Chicago City Council.
The city speed camera statute has allowed for the $35 tickets for cars going 6 to 9 mph over the limit since former Mayor Rahm Emanuel created the system near parks and schools in 2013, but city officials haven’t enforced it until now.
The city has 140 cameras across Chicago that will be instrumental in tracking vehicle speeds and enforcing stricter rules. View a full list and map of camera locations here.
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