Travel Midwest News Items

• Watch for riders. Always eliminate distractions. Be patient and stay focused. 
• When you approach an ATV/UTV on the road, slow down and be patient for a safe opportunity to pass. 
• As ATV/UTVs are much wider than bicycle or motorcycle, motorists are likely to require space from the opposing travel lane while passing. 
• Keep an eye out for ATV route signs and remember the law allows postings at territorial boundaries so motorists may not see additional signage along individual roads.

• Stick to authorized areas. Most highways and roads statewide remain off limits. Check for ATV/UTV route signs or with local authorities to see if certain highways and roads are legally open.
• Travel at an appropriate speed and remain aware of your surroundings. 
• Consider wearing high-visibility gear. As some drivers might not expect to be sharing the road with an ATV/UTV, it can help to be seen from afar. 
• Riders are required to operate headlight(s) when on or around roadways. 
• Helmets and protective gear save lives and are highly encouraged for everyone, but also are a legal obligation for riders and passengers under 18 with limited exceptions. Get the facts here. 
• All UTV riders and passengers must have seatbelts fastened at all times. 
• It is illegal for passengers to sit anywhere not specifically designed or intended for passenger use.  
• Never consume alcohol or drugs before or during ATV/UTV operation. 

First event May 11 at The Promenade Bolingbrook for free child safety seats checks and kids’ ID cards

The Illinois Tollway and Illinois State Police District 15 are teaming up to host their annual Kids Identification and Safety Seat (K.I.S.S.) events as part of Operation Kid 2019.

The Tollway and District 15 have worked together in partnership to promote child safety for more than 15 years, each year holding events throughout Northern Illinois to provide free kids’ ID cards and inspect and install child safety seats. In 2018, Operation Kid helped families and caregivers with nearly 540 child safety seats checks and issued nearly 1,000 kids’ ID cards to parents.

“Our mission is to keep children safe and parents worry-free, every trip, every time,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director José Alvarez. “The safety of motorists and their families is a top priority for the Tollway and Operation Kid gives us the opportunity to help parents keep their children safe on the road and in their communities.”

Illinois law requires that all children under age 8 must be properly secured in an appropriate child restraint system when riding in a vehicle with family or other caregivers. In addition, as of January 1, 2019, children under age 2 years are required by Illinois law to ride rear-facing, unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall, to protect their developing muscles and bones.

Properly installed child safety seats save lives and significantly reduce injuries in the event of a crash. Yet, Illinois State Police find that more than 90 percent of child safety seats they inspect are improperly installed.

“Operation Kid offers a convenient way for drivers to make sure they’re complying with Illinois law,” said District 15 Acting Commander Dominic Chiappini. “The safest place for infants, toddlers and young children to ride is in the back seat with the appropriate child safety seat for their age and weight.”

2019 K.I.S.S. Events

To make it easy and fun for parents, grandparents and children alike, 10 K.I.S.S. events will be held at convenient locations at various locations along the 294-mile Illinois Tollway system.

Operation Kid 2019 events kick off on Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Promenade Bolingbrook, 631 E. Boughton Road along the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355). Highlights include:

• Free identification cards for children ages 3 and older and child safety seat inspections and installations
• Touch-a-truck display featuring hands-on exploration of a Tollway H.E.L.P. truck, snowplow and local emergency vehicles.
• Kids indoor and outdoor play areas, including an inflatable slide. 

Unless otherwise indicated, all other events are on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information about Operation Kid 2019 and to see additional activities at each event, visit the Tollway’s website.

Child Safety Seat Basics

The safest place for infants, toddlers and young children to ride is in the back seat with the appropriate child safety seat for their age and weight.

Rear-facing child safety seats protect a growing baby’s head, neck and back in an accident. Toddlers and young children should ride in a child safety seat with an internal harness until age 8 or they reach the maximum harness limit of the child restraint.

A booster seat is the most effective way to position a safety belt properly on a young child's growing body. Safety belts are designed for adults who are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. Until age 8, most children have not developed strong hip bones and their legs and bodies are too short for the adult safety belt to fit correctly without use of a booster seat.

Illinois law requires that whenever a person is transporting a child under age 8, the person is responsible for properly securing the child in an appropriate child restraint system.

Missing Child Basics

Information provided on kids ID cards can help law enforcement search and recover a missing child. That includes a description of the child’s hair and eye color, height, weight, race, unique identifiers such as glasses or beauty marks, as well as date of birth, current photo and fingerprints.

The FBI suggests that parents keep their children’s fingerprints, not only because fingerprints are unique but also because they don’t change over time like a child’s appearance. The FBI also recommends that parents update the photos of their children on ID cards at least once a year to ensure they are current.

With increased public awareness, training, laws and better technology, the recovery rate of missing children has jumped from 62 percent in 1990 to more than 97 percent today, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

The City of Chicago will continue the springtime bridge lifts, allowing recreational boat traffic to move from boat storage yards to harbors across Lake Michigan. The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) will be lifting the movable bridges over the south and main branches of the Chicago River Chicago River so that sail boats and other pleasure craft can safely and easily move into summer docking locations up and down the shoreline.

Each year, in the spring and fall, CDOT raises the movable bridges along the Main and South Branches of the Chicago River on a twice weekly schedule on Saturdays and Wednesdays to accommodate recreational boats traveling to and from their storage yards.

“The springtime lifting of Chicago’s iconic movable river bridges marks the beginning of the boating season each year and is a welcome sight for Chicagoans,” said CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld, who also serves as Chicago’s Harbor Master and has jurisdiction over the city’s waterways. “CDOT works with local boat storage yards each year to create a schedule that accommodates boats while causing the least amount of impact on downtown street traffic.”

During these “boat runs,” the bridges are raised sequentially, typically one at a time. Each bridge lift takes an average of 8-12 minutes. A total of 27 bridges will be lifted in succession from the Ashland Avenue Bridge on the South Branch to Lake Shore Drive.

The Spring 2019 bridge lift schedule is as follows:

* Saturday, May 18 at 8 a.m.
* Wednesday, May 22 at 9:30 a.m.
* Saturday, May 25 at 8 a.m.
* Wednesday, May 29 at 9:30 a.m
* Wednesday, June 1 at 9:30 a.m.
* Saturday, June 5 at 8 a.m.
* Wednesday, June 8 at 9:30 a.m.
* Saturday, June 12 at 8 a.m.
* Wednesday, June 15 at 9:30 a.m.
* Saturday, June 19 at 8 a.m.
* Wednesday, June 22 at 9:30 a.m.
* Saturday, June 26 at 8 a.m.
* Wednesday, June 29 at 9:30 a.m.

Effective Monday, April 22, 2019 at 6 AM, weight Restrictions will be lifted on all state trunkline highways from the Michigan South border, North to and including M-72 at the intersection of M-22, in the city of Empire, Leelanau County, then East on M-72 to US-131 in the Village of Kalkaska then South on US-131 to the South junction with M-72 and East on M-72 to the junction of US-23 in the City of Harrisville, Alcona County. Frost restrictions are still in effect for the remainder of the state and will be imposed and enforced on all state trunkline highways north of the M-72 line.

State trunk line highways typically carry M, I, or US designations. Weight restriction information and updates may be obtained by calling 1-800-787-8960. For companies located in Canada or New Jersey, information may be obtained by calling 517-335-0023.

- On routes designated as "All Season Routes" (green or gold on the MDOT Truck Operators Map) there will be no reduction in legal axle weight.

- On routes designated as "Seasonal" (solid or dashed red on the MDOT Truck Operators Map) there will be a weight reduction of 25% for rigid pavements and 35% for flexible pavements.

Extended permits will be valid for oversize only in the weight restricted area.

Single trip permits will not be issued for overweight loads or loads exceeding 14 feet in width, 11 axles and 150 feet in overall length in the weight restricted area.

Detailed Weight Restriction information may be obtained by linking to www.michigan.gov/truckers.

Please refer to the MDOT Truck Operator's Map for route designations 

Spring Weight Restrictions: http://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/APSWB/SWBHome.htm?bulletin=weight   

Keep Us Alive Drive 45 is our commitment to keep workers and motorists safe in work zones. Each year, many people are killed in construction zone accidents, both commuters and workers. Please abide the posted speed limit in work zones. When workers are present, it's 45 M.P.H. - It's The Law.

Join us in our pledge to increase awareness and promote safe driving in our work zones by displaying an orange ribbon. Together we can make our roadways a safer place to commute and work. With your help, we can see to it that a construction zone is not an end zone.