Reckless Driver on Tollway Today

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
July 16, 2009

I hope the State Police were able to catch a reckless driver I reported on the Tollway this morning. I'm an infrequent user of the Tollway, because I tire easily of being endangered by speeders and tailgaters.

This morning's reckless driver gets the prize, though. He was flying! I saw him coming up fast alongside me while I was poking along at the 55MPH speed limit east of Elgin. I had gone through the cash lanes, so that I could turn in a transponder that I found last week. As I went up the hill between Route 31 and Route 25, I spotted a white vehicle coming up fast in the center lane. My guess was that he was hitting about 75MPH.

As soon as he passed me, he cut quickly into the inside lane, passed a car, and then cut back sharply into the center lane and ran up fast behind a car in that lane. Then he started for the right lane but changed his mind. Once back in the center lane, he swung sharply into the inside lane, passed a car and then cut back into the center lane.

By that time I was on the phone with the dispatcher at the Tollway's State Police district to request a trooper make a traffic stop. I told the dispatcher that the trooper would easily recognize the vehicle.

On its right side was "CHICAGO POLICE 6529".

Hopefully, the City of Chicago Independent Police Review Authority will have a little chat with him.