The Brief
- Cook County is cracking down on illegal shoulder driving with an $11 million surveillance helicopter capable of spotting violators from hundreds of feet up, already helping issue hundreds of citations since the operation began.
- Deputies say the behavior is dangerous and widespread, with stops frequently uncovering additional violations, from suspended licenses to improper registrations.
- Penalties for shoulder misuse are steep — starting at a $250 fine and community service — and officials warn the enforcement effort is only ramping up as crashes tied to shoulder driving continue to rise.
COOK COUNTY – We’ve all seen it: impatient motorists snaking through traffic, weaving between lanes and treating the emergency shoulder like it’s just another express lane.
For years, drivers got away with it — no warning, no stop, no consequences. Until now.
On Aug. 27, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office deployed what it calls its “big gun” in the fight against illegal shoulder driving: a new $11 million helicopter equipped with advanced surveillance technology.…