NEW LAW: ILLINOS OUTLAWS RADAR DETECTORS IN BIG TRUCKS

As of Friday, interstate truck drivers must contend with a new law in Illinois placing further restrictions on them, but perhaps making highways safer for motorists.

On Jan. 1, radar detector units were made illegal in heavy trucks and can be seized by Illinois state law enforcement officers on the second infraction.

A press release from Illinois Secretary of State George Ryan said, "Even though Illinois highways are among the safest in the country, far too many people are still dying at the hands of irresponsible drivers."

Under the new radar detector law, drivers of heavy trucks or passenger buses must place detector units either in a locked compartment or outside the cab of the vehicle before entering the state.

First-time offenders will receive a $50 ticket. If caught again, the driver faces a $100 fine and the officer has the right to seize the unit.

With imposition of the law, Illinois joins three other states - Connecticut, New York and Virginia - and the District of Columbia in banning radar detectors.

"I think it stinks," said Dan Coyle, a truck driver from Dallas, Texas, who has been on the road for 35 years. "I don't speed that much, but it's an inconvenience for everyone."

Coyle, who uses a radar detector in his truck, also objects to the fact that radar detectors have been banned in heavy trucks and not in passenger vehicles in the state.

"It's a matter of principle," Coyle said. "If they're going to ban detectors, they have to do it for everyone."

Bill Monroe, a truck driver for the past six years, echoed Coyle's aversion to the law.

"It stinks," Monroe said. "I don't want anyone taking my radar detector from me.

"It's just not fair," Monroe said. "I can have one in my car at home (Pearl, Ill.), but I can't use one in my truck."

Lowell Ralston, a truck driver from Wood River, Ill., said that he will not take his radar detector off of the dashboard of his truck.

"They claim they'll take it if they find one in the truck," Ralston said. "I don't see that posted anywhere, so I'm not going to do it."

Ralston, who has driven a truck for almost 38 years and plans on retiring soon, also believes the Illinois law is biased.

"In Virginia, people in cars and trucks aren't allowed to use a radar detector," Ralston said. "That's fair, but this new law just targets truckers."

When asked what he thought about the new Illinois law, Ralston replied, "I don't."

None of the three drivers has ever been ticketed for speeding or questioned about their use of a radar detector.

Proponents of Illinois' law say that motorists buy radar detectors only to avoid speeding tickets and that big trucks at high speeds pose the biggest danger to the driving public.

"An 18-wheeler travelling at fast speeds causes far more death and destruction," said Ryan spokeswoman Cathy Monroe in an Associated Press report.

Monroe said that at least 40 percent of the trucks on the nation's highways have radar detectors and almost half of those carry hazardous wastes.

The Missouri Highway Patrol does not have much to say when it comes to the use of radar detectors on state highways.

"It's just one of those things," said a Missouri Highway Patrol officer who did not wish to be identified. "Every officer has his own opinion about them, but they're legal in this state, so there's not much we can do."

A few St. Louis police officers are using a new kind of speed trap gun that does not use radar and cannot be sensed by detection units.

A federal law requiring large truck trailers to be marked with reflectors or reflective tape to make them more visible at night and in bad weather also took effect on Friday.

This law is designed to help motorists judge the size and shape of the trailers and how far away they are.

The addition of the reflectors or reflective tape was estimated to cost about $100 per trailer, for an industry total of $17 million annually.