A police chief from Illinois recently participated in one of the most brazen anti-trucker campaigns that we’ve ever seen.
The video is part of a campaign called Safe Roads Illinois. With a slogan of “Let’s take back our roads!”, the group, comprised of residents of Will County, hopes to reduce commercial semi truck traffic with a series of videos describing the dangers that truck drivers pose to the community
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In a recent video, Police Chief Frey Hayes discusses the rise of truck traffic in town and says that a significant amount of truck drivers simply don’t care about the rules. He says they’ll try to “get from point A to B” by any means necessary, even if it means endangering others. “The don’t care how they do it,” he adds.
The video’s description states the following:
Overwhelming truck traffic resulting from the unplanned, overdevelopment of intermodal facilities and warehouses in Will County is overrunning our community, creating dangerous conditions and taking lives.
While we support jobs and commerce, we are paying the ultimate price when truckers: Run red lights and cut off drivers, Speed, tailgate and slam on the brakes, Crash through railroad crossing safety gates, Ignore signs and drive in our neighborhoods, Disregard weight limits and vehicle safety regulations, Disobey law enforcement.
As a concerned resident of Will County, I ask you to: Make truckers pay for blatant disregard of the law, Hold developers accountable for their actions and impacts, Coordinate enforcement of truck traffic, Toughen commercial driver licensing, regulations and penalties.
Perhaps Mr. Hayes is not aware of the studies that have shown that cars are at fault in a majority of truck-car crashes. Or maybe the town just doesn’t like having their shelves stocked with goods.
Either way, the group has made their position clear.
How would you respond to Police Chief Hayes and the Will County anti-truck campaign? Let us know in the comments below.