Kane sheriff describes efforts at controlling problem drivers

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – After the latest Kane County traffic fatality Oct. 1 in which a 4-year-old was killed, Sheriff Ron Hain called on the public to help police keep the roads safe.

Hain said police continue to issue traffic citations, but that hasn’t stopped serious and fatal crashes from occurring. He attributed an increase in speed and serious crashes to a “post-COVID psycho social issue.”

“It’s post-COVID where people have a general disregard for humanity,” Hain said in an interview last week. “We all have to remember driving is a privilege, not a right.”

Four-year-old Paityn Moore, who police said was seated properly in a car seat, was killed in an Oct. 1 three-vehicle crash just after 6:30 p.m. near Maple Park. A driver crossed the center line on Route 38 near Francis Road and hit the two vehicles.

“He went over the center line a couple of times, then crossed the center line head-on with the first car, then ricocheted off the second car,” Hain said.

The child died at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Her cause of death is pending the crash investigation’s completion, a Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office spokeswoman said.

In August, Hain sent out a news release calling for greater attention from drivers in the wake of four crashes that resulted in three deaths and injuries in several areas around the county.

A crash Aug. 15 on U.S. 30 in Big Rock had serious injuries but no fatalities.

There were two Aug. 16 crashes, one at Red Gate and Randall Road in which 19-year-old Kevin White of St. Charles was killed, and one at Route 30, a half-mile east of Orchard Road, in which Alex Garcia-Roguel, 19, of Aurora, was killed. A crash Aug. 22 on Keslinger Road killed Marcus Jones, 45, of Montgomery.

Hain said in August that sheriff’s deputies in May, June and July made 1,535 traffic stops. Of those, 604 resulted in a citation being issued and 931 stops resulted in a written warning.

With pursuits doubling – that is, drivers refusing to pull over when a deputy puts the emergency lights on – Hain provided deputies with additional training and stop sticks. In order to stop an eluding driver, another deputy gets out ahead and puts down sticks that puncture tires and stops the vehicle, according to the release.

“We cannot keep our roadways safe alone. We need the public’s aid in providing safer travel in Kane as we all travel to and from our destinations,” Hain said in the August release. “We urge drivers of all ages to remember that when they get behind the wheel or in the vehicle with a friend, coworker or a family member to engage in safe practices.”

Illinois Department of Transportation statistics show an 18% increase in traffic deaths in the state in 2020 compared with 2019. 1,195 people died in 1,088 crashes in 2020. 1,010 people died in 938 crashes in 2019, according to the 2019 and 2020 Crash Facts Data.

There were 246,752 crashes reported in 2020 compared with 312,988 crashes in 2019. The smaller number is possibly because of the stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the crashes, 11.92% or 29,421 occurred on rural roadways, while 31.71% or 345 of all fatal crashes occurred on rural roadways, according to the report.

Hain said there could be more deputies doing speed control if there were no calls for service.

“We do traffic enforcement details in areas of concern,” he said. “Deputies are out there writing tickets, but we need drivers to be more responsible. It takes a village.”