2001 | 'Why Are They Driving?' Now they're not
Illinois is a bad place to get caught driving without a valid driver's license, thanks to the Chicago Sun-Times.
A 2001 series of stories and follow-up reports -- dubbed "Why Are They Driving?" -- prompted a series of crackdowns on drivers who thumb their nose at the law.
Among the reforms: If you get caught driving on a suspended or revoked driver's license and your license was taken away as a result of a conviction for DUI or other serious offense, you could have your car taken away for good.
For weeks, Sun-Times reporters and photographers watched as a parade of people, picked up for DUI and other driving violations, were hauled in to traffic courtrooms across the city and suburbs and walked out having had their licenses taken away.
Then, they watched as the scofflaws got into their cars and drove away -- in some cases, just minutes after promising a judge they wouldn't drive.
In addition to the new law, the Sun-Times reports also prompted a series of police stings against driving scofflaws.