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Citations, warnings for windshield obstructions up 91% since 2004
By Dan Simmons~Chicago Tribune
Ermir Spahiu was pulled over by police for his window-mounted GPS unit. For Tina Ross, it was her handicapped placard. And Mark Hubbard was nailed for an air freshener. All three Illinois drivers were stopped for what they thought were innocent items placed near their windshields.
“It really threw me for a loop,” said Hubbard, recalling his 2008 encounter with Rolling Meadows police over a 2-inch scented medallion that dangled from his rearview mirror.
An increasing number of drivers are being cited for windshield and window obstructions, which can include anything an officer deems to “materially obstruct” a driver’s vision. The only exceptions are government-issued items such as I-PASS boxes and parking stickers.
Since 2004, the number of motorists stopped by state police for breaking the obscure law has jumped 91 percent. In 2004, about 20,000 drivers were warned or cited, most of them receiving warnings. This year, the number is expected to hit about 38,000.
Offenders can expect little sympathy from Master Sgt. Isaiah Vega of the Illinois State Police.
“Driving is a privilege, and drivers should take every precaution,” he said. Hanging anything from the rear-view-mirror “could be a dangerous if not deadly error,” Vega said.
But civil-rights advocates and defense lawyers see something else in the stops: an arbitrary excuse to pull over drivers and proceed to a more invasive search. A recent court decision in Illinois and a bill making its way through the Michigan legislature indicate a sharpening of those concerns.
