Illinois Tollway To Post Names Of Deadbeat Motorists
By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 28, 2013 1:50PM
Motorists who don’t pay their way on the Illinois Tollway will be outed on the agency’s website after Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation into law Tuesday. The legislation sponsored by state Sen. Ira Silverstein will allow Illinois Tollway officials to post the names of all drivers who owe more than $1,000 in tolls and fines.
Tollway spokeswoman Wendy Abrams told the Tribune the agency was working on their list and are aiming to have it online this week.
The Illinois Tollway already takes frequent offenders to court in attempts to recoup unpaid tolls and fines, and the agency’s own research found 98 percent of motorists pay what they owe. The two percent who don’t, however, account for nearly $300 million in lost revenue when phone calls, letters and hiring collection agencies to recoup the money is factored.
There’s precedent here. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey posted the names of 37 violators last year, while the North Texas Tollway Authority posted the names of over 26,000 toll cheats on their website last summer. In the instance of the Port Authority, most of the unpaid tolls and fines belonged to rental car companies. So think twice the next time you want to speed through the I-Pass lanes without paying.