CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Wide open roads are leading some to speed recklessly, according to a suburban police chief and he’s urging people to slow down.
Since Governor Pritzker issued the stay-at-home, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of greater Cook County residents have stayed at home. The result of this has been lighter traffic.
And with the lighter traffic, motorists are tempted to speed on a regular basis. Speeding and excessive speeding has been very noticeable by the general public and law enforcement.
Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel said it does not take a cop to see what has been happening, anyone who is still driving to and from work for their job as an essential worker or is driving to the supermarket or a relative's home can see it every day.
“The increase in speed in the eerily empty streets is troubling. The pedal-to-the-metal driving comes at the same time that restless residents are walking and cycling more, sometimes crisscrossing streets multiple times to avoid passing closer to one another. What I implore of motorists is that they slow down, respect the rules of the road, and recognize that pedestrian traffic has increased - there are many more walkers and cyclists out there these days," Weitzel said.
Chief Weitzel instructed his officers to stop motorists who are driving recklessly or excessively speeding. This comes at a time when officers are trying to have less contact with the public during the coronavirus pandemic.
""I think that is one of the things that is being taken advantage of is the public knows, it is no secret that law enforcement is not doing as much traffic enforcement now," Weitzel said.
Chief Weitzel cited a recent incident in which a speeding pick-up truck ended up in the Des Plaines River. The driver was left critically injured.
He is urging everyone to slow down.
"I urge motorists to slow down, keep a greater distance between cars, and simply obey the speed limits," Chief Weitzel said.