Ignoring the warning at railway crossings will now result in higher fines for Illinois drivers. | Courtesy of Shutterstock
Ignoring the warning at railway crossings will now result in higher fines for Illinois drivers. | Courtesy of Shutterstock
Illinois drivers now face stiffer penalties for disregarding the crossing gate warning systems where roadways and railroad tracks meet.
Fines for going around, or otherwise disobeying the warning, have doubled for first offenders from $250 to $500, while repeat offenders will face fines of $500 to $1000.
Fines aren’t the only reason for drivers to obey the crossing gate warnings, as Illinois ranked second in the nation for highway-rail crashes in 2015, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Operation Lifesaver.
More than three-quarters of the collisions occurred at crossings where there were active warning devices in place. Those devices -- which include lights, bells or gates -- are designed to prevent collisions, but do little to help when they are ignored by drivers. Those that are involved in collisions with trains are 40 times more likely to die as a result of the crash than if they had been in automobile-only accidents.
Begun in 1976, Illinois Commerce Commission’s Operation Lifesaver program works throughout the state with the goal of reducing collisions, injuries and deaths at highway railroad grade crossings and railroad rights-of-way. According to Operation Lifesaver, more people in the U.S. die in highway-rail grade crossing crashed than in plane crashes: there were a total of 244 people killed in collisions at crossings in 2015.
Illinois has more than 7,300 miles of track, making it the second largest rail system of any state in the nation. Over 60 railroad companies operate trains on those rails, more than in any other state. There are over one trillion pounds of freight moved across the state yearly -- more than in any other -- with 35.2 million tons of chemicals, many of which are hazardous.
Alerts Sign-up