ILLINOIS, USA — The Illinois State Police published its first report on the causes of move over crashes and violations, along with is proposing ways to protect law enforcement.
The Move Over Task Force was formed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in 2019 after two roadside deaths of Illinois State Police Troopers. The crashes were the result of motorists’ failure to comply with the Move Over law.
The Move Over Law, also known as Scott’s Law, requires drivers to change lanes when approaching stationary emergency vehicles, including all highway maintenance vehicles displaying flashing lights, and any stationary vehicle with their hazard lights activated.
“Our troopers and first responders put their lives on the line every single day in service to communities across Illinois. Ensuring these brave men and women are able to do their job safely and return home unharmed is a top priority for my administration which is why I created the Move Over Task Force in my first year in office,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This report is an important step forward in our work to protect troopers and emergency responders on Illinois roadways and I applaud the members of the task force for establishing recommendations that will help make our roads safer.”
According to the press release, task force recommendations include:
• Adding improvements to the existing Move Over Law. As written, the law requires vehicles to make a lane change (Move Over) from the stationary authorized emergency vehicle. If a lane change is not available, vehicles must reduce their speed. The Task Force believes for vehicles to “proceed with due caution,” they should always reduce speed. Therefore, laws should say “Move Over AND Slow Down, as opposed to Move Over OR Slow Down.
• Inclusion of distracted driving as an aggravating factor for violations of the Move Over Law.
• Continued support of federal legislation, such as the Protecting Roadside First Responders Act. The Task Force agrees “Move Over” laws should be a new national safety priority in addition to existing federal grant program to increase public awareness
• More flexibility within the Illinois Procurement Code to make public safety-informed decisions on what is best for first responders when it comes to the health and safety of the public. The Task Force recommends the General Assembly pass legislation to encourage swifter acquisition of necessary public safety technology and equipment in the Illinois Procurement Code.
• Encourage the Illinois Department of Transportation to amend crash reports to capture “Move Over” law crashes and the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts to amend traffic citations to included a box to denote “Move Over” law violations. This would allow the better, more precise collection of data across all law enforcement agencies.
• Encourage all organizations with traffic safety-oriented missions to continue their efforts educating the public on the Move Over laws and to continue to research and develop new technology and evaluate what other law enforcement agencies are doing to mitigate the risk.
Some of the statistics from the Move Over Task Force report shows 6,570 citations were issued in 2019 for move over violations and only 2,046 citations were reported in 2020. Although this shows progress due to fine increases and police enforcement, the stay-at-home orders during the pandemic may alter the true numbers of the study.
The Move Over Task Force also investigated crash-avoidance technology, including systems that notify drivers by way of an alert that they are approaching an emergency vehicle on the shoulder, allowing more time to slow down and move over earlier. The ISP began the implementation of technology to reduce the amount of time that ISP officers spend on the roadside working crashes, conducting inspections and traffic stops. The ISP also announced new squad cars will now have push bumpers to help remove traffic obstructing vehicles from roads where possible.
To see details on Move Over crashes involving ISP personnel, click here.
