Illinois State Police to ramp up truck enforcement on I-57

Illinois police have made significant efforts to make Interstate 57 safer for all drivers.

On Tuesday, a 57-year-old man died after a semi-truck slammed into his van on I-57 in Williamson County, according to WSILTV.

The police cited the truck driver for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Trooper Joey Watson commented on the accident saying, it’s a scene that plays out far too often in our region.

“We’ve all experienced that pain here in Southern Illinois over the last several months and to be honest with you, we’re tired of it. We want to make sure our roadways are safe.”

That being said, state troopers have implemented a new safety initiative focusing on the most common contributors to fatal crashes.

The most common contributors to deadly crashes are distractions, speeding, driving under the influence, and not wearing seatbelts.

Watson said, “These are the big four decisions, people when they make poorly, have the highest repercussions and also the largest percentage that causes crashes in Illinois.”

The police have also decided to single out truck drivers. They will be conducting random compliance checks on the semis.

“We’re looking for their training to make sure they have the appropriate licensure to make sure they have a Class A, to make sure they’re good to operate the vehicle that they’re in,” according to Watson.

Thankfully, however, since the summer when this initiative started, almost every driver stopped has been in compliance with all laws and regulations.

Watson thinks that stopping trucks more than non-commercial vehicles will keep the roads safer. He says it is better to be safe than sorry.

Similarly, police are also more strictly punishing drivers who don’t change lanes and slow down when approaching emergency vehicles with their lights on, as required by state law.