Illinois
Police say road rage a growing concern for Illinois drivers
It often starts with something seemingly trivial: A driver tailgates, or doesn’t signal.
Angry glances and words are exchanged. Things can turn violent, even deadly.
Illinois State Police said common signs of road rage or aggressive driving can include:
- Following too closely or tailgating.
- Improper or erratic lane changing.
- Illegally driving on the shoulder of the road (emergency lane), in a ditch/median, or on a sidewalk.
- Passing where prohibited.
- Operating the vehicle in an erratic, reckless, careless, or negligent manner or suddenly changing speeds.
- Failure to yield right of way.
- Failure to obey traffic laws, signs and devices.
- Failure to yield to emergency personnel and construction zone speed limits.
- Failure to signal.
- Driving too fast for conditions or in excess of posted speed limit.
- Racing.
- Making an improper turn.
Road rage is not new. But Illinois State Police is concerned about the growing number of reports across the state.
The agency hopes to reverse that trend through the awareness and education campaign “Road Rage. Don’t Engage.”
“We’re seeing people react more aggressively and dangerously,” Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly said. “The message is simple — if you see or become part of a road rage situation, don’t engage. That extra car length you gain by cutting someone off, or arriving 10 seconds earlier by tailgating another person, is not worth your life.”
Forbes Advisor said road rage violence is up nationwide. Illinois, its surveying showed, is the eighth most-confrontational state, with 29.5% of drivers reporting an encounter is which someone got out of their vehicle to yell or fight. It’s not just happening on busy roads, either. The same survey found 15% occurred in parking lots, 12% at intersections and 7% on rural roads.
State police hope to educate people about how to avoid becoming a victim by not only avoiding driving habits that can trigger anger in others, but by not engaging those driving recklessly.
Among the recommendations:
- If you are in the left lane and someone wants to pass, move to your right and allow them to pass.
- If someone cuts you off, slow down and give them room to merge into your lane.
- If a speeding driver is tailgating you, safely change lanes when able.
Creating distance and avoiding eye contact or gestures can help lessen confrontation, according to state police.
Those who find themselves facing a road rage situation can call 911 or go to the nearest police station to report it, police said.
Snow is making a comeback in Central Illinois.
IPM meteorologist Andrew Pritchard said A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Champaign County and surrounding portions of east-central Illinois beginning Thursday at 3:00 p.m. to Friday at 6:00 a.m.
Snow will spread into Champaign-Urbana between 3-6 PM late this afternoon into the evening with periods of moderate to heavy snowfall continuing overnight. Snow should taper off around sunrise on Friday morning, with around 2-4″ of new snow accumulation expected across Champaign County.
Winds will blow out of the east around 5-10 mph, with minimal impacts from blowing & drifting snow. Still, snow accumulation on roadways could lead to hazardous travel conditions overnight into the Friday morning commute.
On Saturday, the National Weather Service in Central Illinois forecasted for snow to return on Saturday afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. Temperatures will drop below zero across much of central Illinois both Saturday night and Sunday night with resulting wind chill values as cold as 15 to 30 below zero.
RIVERWOODS, Ill. (WLS) — A woman is facing charges five years after the discovery of a dead newborn in the north suburbs.
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Riverwoods, Illinois police say Natalie Schram gave birth to the baby in May 2020 and then dumped the baby’s body in a wooded area in the 1800 block of Robinwood Lane.
Schram was arrested earlier this month in Washington State and has now bee charged in connection to the crime, police said.
SEE ALSO | 2 charged after infant’s remains found buried at Wilmington home, Will County sheriff says
The suspect is expected to appear in a Lake County, Illinois courtroom on Thursday.
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Illinois State Redbirds pulled off the comeback of the year and maybe all-time this past Saturday.
ISU, who were 23-point underdogs, rallied from 14 points down with three minutes to go to knock off No. 1-ranked and defending champion North Dakota State in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in Fargo, North Dakota.
Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse overcame five interceptions to engineer the huge 29-28 upset.
Head coach Brock Spack and Arlington Heights receiver Dan Sobkowicz, who caught the game-winning touchdown, discussed the team’s spirit following the win.
“I had 142 texts, and so, I answered every single one of em, how about that. Either with a fist bump or thumbs up or ‘thank you very much,’ I answered every one,” Spack said. “Our players persevered, and they never lost. You can tell this is a different vibe. They just never lost confidence that they were going to win. To have five turnovers, and to be able to survive that and win, and beat these guys like that is amazing.”
“Obviously, it was a really good scrambler,” Sobkowicz said. “Just kinda wanted to make something happen, I mean, he found me, and, uh, obviously, I didn’t really think much of it, honestly, at that play right after, but words can’t really explain how much that meant. I think it’s just a cool moment that I’m probably never going to forget.”
The Redbirds will play UC-Davis Saturday in the FCS quarterfinals.
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