Under a law that went into effect in January 2000, the state can suspend the license plates of anyone who ignores five citations for passing through toll lanes without paying. Previously, the toll authority's only course of action was to take violators to small- claims court.
A major impetus behind the law was to stem the loss of tollway monies. "We need that revenue to provide safe and well-maintained roadways for our customers," says Joelle McGinnis, spokeswoman for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.
To catch a tollway cheat, cameras at each tollbooth capture the license plate numbers of drivers who don't pay. Drivers with five or more citations receive notice from the state requesting payment of fines: $20 for each violation plus the unpaid toll fees. If drivers ignore this notice--and the many follow-up notices that are sent out over the course of a year--the Illinois Secretary of State can suspend their license plates. So far, the state has taken that action against 47 drivers.
McGinnis says the state is going after chronic scofflaws. The law is not aimed at naive tourists or drivers who skip the toll once or twice because they don't have correct change.
There are signs that the ability to suspend licenses is working as a deterrent to toll running. The state toll authority reports that the tally of unpaid tolls decreased from $8 million in 1999 to $7 million in 2000.
