Last year a Lemont,
Illinois teenager, Julie Gorczynski, was
tragically killed in an auto accident when she was struck by a driver who was
driving 76 mph in a 40 mph zone. That driver was recently sentenced to 6 months
in jail for vehicular manslaughter.
For
obvious reasons, there was an outrage following this accident about punishment
involved for excessive speeding. Before going into the specifics of the new law, it must
be pointed out that 2 years ago Governor Quinn signed a bill into law which
eliminated court supervision for drivers who are convicted of or plead out to
speeding 40 mph over the speed limit. That same law also made a driving 30 mph
over the speed limit a class B misdemeanor. After Julie Gorczynski’s car accident, a new bill was sponsored
and eventually signed into law in July by Governor Quinn. This new law
prohibits judges from granting court supervision to anyone charged with going
30 mph or more over the speed limit on highways and 25 mph over or more in
urban areas.
“This
legislation addresses motorists who are pulled over for driving more than 25
miles over the speed limit in urban areas and more than 30 miles an hour over
on highways,” said bill sponsor, Rep. Sidney Mathias (R-Arlington
Heights). “It is my hope that the more stringent penalties will serve as a
deterrent for motorists who put their lives and the lives of others at risk by
driving too fast.”
It is unfortunate that
a sad case like this young girl’s had to bring about this legislative change,
but hopefully it will make drivers think twice about speeding at excessive
speeds. These are the same types of measures I have been pushing for regarding texting and driving. Why not make texting and driving a Class A misdemeanor if there is a car accident or someone is injured?
If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then
call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at
312-588-3384 or go to www.blgchicago.com.