Legislation passed by Illinois lawmakers last week would make it easier for law enforcement officers to cite truck drivers for debris that could fly loose.

The bill allows officers to stop trucks and fine drivers up to $250 if they believe material is likely to fly off the truck or the tires and damage other vehicles or endanger motorists. Under current law, officers can pull a driver over only if they actually see material fall off the truck.
A similar plan passed last year, but it was vetoed by Gov. George Ryan. Saying he was concerned the bill would hurt small business, Ryan wanted it amended to make pickup trucks were exempt. A new bill was introduced in January that did just that.
The bill was in response to a grassroots effort by Denise Wolff of Elburn, IL. She started her organizing campaign on the Internet after having several windshields cracked by rocks flying off trucks. She even mailed one of the broken windshields to Gov. Ryan after last year's veto.