+25MPH? No court supervision

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
April 1, 2012

A short article in this morning's Northwest Herald informs readers that, if they are convicted of driving 25MPH or more over the posted speed limit, then their chances for Court Supervision are gone.

Big deal. What is court supervision, anyway? All it is, is a period of time during which you keep your fingers crossed that you don't get another ticket. If you don't get caught, then the violation doesn't go on your driving record on a State level. It doesn't mean that you haven't violated any laws; it just means that you didn't get caught violating them.

"Court supervision" is one of the dumbest ideas ever to come down the pike. I wonder who dreamed up that one? Probably some legislator with a speeding habit or a family member who got too many tickets.

Why not just eliminate court supervision entirely? If you get a ticket, it goes on your record. When your record is bad enough, your insurance premiums go up. So what? Let those who violate the laws pay more. Pretty simple. Eventually they might even "get the message".

By the way, does that McHenry County legislator with a reputation for driving 90MPH to Springfield still do so? Shouldn't legislators be the first to obey the laws, not the last?

Kind of like cops, in my book. They too should be the first to obey the laws. How can you enforce them, if you break them yourself?