CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Excessive speeding, street racing, and loud muffler violations are on the rise in Naperville.
The traffic trend started last year when the pandemic first began and was brought up at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.
Naperville Police made 6,918 traffic stops in the first three months of 2021.
“Our police department made 500 stops in the downtown last summer when the violations and the behavior really started to surface during the pandemic,” said Police Chief Robert Marshall. “We wrote 280 loud muffler violations.”
A majority of traffic troubles have been reported on Aurora Avenue between downtown Naperville and Route 59.
So far, officers have made 52 traffic stops this year along the stretch of roadway, mainly for drag racing and speeding vehicles.
Another concern is the large number of ATVs, dirt bikes, and other unlicensed vehicles driving on public roads.
“We’ve never seen anything like this, where these individuals are driving ATVs,” Marshall said. “This is a new trend that we’re experiencing and they are baiting police officers to chase them.”
What’s most concerning for Naperville Police is the number of people fleeing from traffic stops.
The four-year average for individuals eluding the police was 19 per year.
“In 2020, there were 48 instances where individuals fled from police officers that were making lawful traffic stops,” Marshall said. “Quite simply, these violators have no fear for the current consequences.”
Marshall offered several recommendations to Mayor Steve Chirico and city council members including increasing towing fines from $300 to $500, installing speed bumps, and creating an escalating penalty structure for repeat offenders.
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