Illinois Speed Awareness Day. Slow Down. Stay Alive.
The Illinois Tollway emphasizes safety—that’s why we’re proud to help call attention to the dangers of speeding by participating in the fourth annual Illinois Speed Awareness Day (ISAD) campaign.
Drivers who speed have less time to react to other vehicles or objects in the roadway, require a greater distance to stop to avoid crashes and are more likely to suffer serious or fatal injuries if they are involved in a crash. Across Illinois, speeding accounted for 42 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2017.
The Tollway is working with Illinois State Police, other law enforcement agencies and safety groups on Speed Awareness Day, Wednesday, July 24, to remind our customers to protect themselves, workers, emergency responders and other drivers by following posted speed limits, particularly in work zones.
“As an agency, we’re continually looking at ways to engage our customers in a conversation on safe driving,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director José Alvarez. “With construction underway throughout the 294-mile Tollway system, we urge drivers to slow down and pay attention, especially when traveling in work zones.”
Illinois State Police District 15 will conduct additional patrols across the Tollway system on Wednesday to enforce speed limits and other traffic laws.
But police can only do so much. We urge drivers to take responsibility for keeping the roads safe by slowing down and following speed limits.
By driving responsibly, they could save someone’s life.
“We all have choices to make every day and the choices we make behind the wheel affect everyone around us and can have dangerous consequences,” said Mike Donovan of FACES4, a safety advocacy group that focuses on warning drivers about the dangers of speeding. His daughter and grandson died in a 2005 crash when their car was struck by a driver who was speeding.
“The bottom line is, as a society in general we are driving way too fast and doing way too many things while we’re driving. People keep dying.” Donovan said.
ISAD is an Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP) and Families Against Chronic Excessive Speed 4 (FACES4) traffic safety initiative. If you would like more information about ISAD, please visit www.illinoisspeedawarenessday.org.