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CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. (First Alert 4) - A driver hitting triple-digit speeds along a busy highway in the Metro East is sparking a renewed push against speeding across the area.

Last week, Illinois State Police said they stopped a car that was speeding on I-270 in Edwardsville. The speed they were going? 109 miles per hour.

 People need to understand that motor vehicles are just as dangerous - they are a bullet,  Chief Thomas L. Trice with the Cahokia Heights Police Department stated.

This incident of reckless driving, turning a lot of heads in the Metro East.

 That's ridiculous - that's my first reaction,  Trice said.  And reckless. 

ISP said the car was going 109 mph in a 65 mph zone. The car contained five occupants, including a 4-year-old with no car seat and an 8-year-old with no seatbelt on.

The driver received six citations, including:

44 mph over the limit

Reckless Driving

No Insurance and Suspended Registration

Child Restraint Violations

No Seatbelt for a Child 8 or Older

Illegal Window Tint

 Years ago, 20 miles over the speed limit was an arrestable offense in Illinois,  Trice explained.  The laws changed, and with that we've seen a significant increase in [people] driving much higher over the speed limit. 

Trice has been working to stop that trend here in Cahokia Heights.

 One of the first things that I actually started here myself, along with my deputy chief, was actually a traffic detail,  he said.  And just this year alone - at the six month mark - we've already written over 1,700 tickets. 

Trice also said he is actively working with the Illinois Department of Transportation to run more traffic details around the area, and stop those drivers before they cause any harm.

 If they're speeding here in Cahokia Heights, we're going to enforce the laws. We're going to make sure that we are out - proactively and visually - enforcing those laws,  he exclaimed.

Last year, ISP troopers issued nearly 146,000 speeding tickets and warnings on Illinois roads.

In 2024, speeding-related incidents accounted for more than 
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