A heftier fine will be given to drivers who disregarding railroad crossing lights under a new Illinois law. Last week, the Illinois Republican Governor signed into law the new legislation that will double the fines currently in the books. A $500 fine will be given to first offense and each offense after that will be punishable with a steeper $1,000 fine. According to a report by the Northwest Herald, ignoring railroad crossing signals resulted in 24 death as well as 79 others were injured in Illinois last year. This data was released by the Federal Railroad Administration.
One of the legislation's sponsors is a Republican State Senate who says the State of Illinois was the second leading state in the U.S. in 2015 for fatalities at rail crossings. The goal of the steeper fines will serve as a reminder to all motorist to be mindful of railroad signals. The state leaders also want to remind drivers never to attempt to out-run a closing gate during a flashing signal.
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