Illinois drivers urged to slow down or move over

Scott’s Law requires drivers to either move over or slow down for stopped police vehicles. But Illinois State Police Captain Carl Heintz says far too often law enforcement officers’ lives are put at risk by motorists who refuse to move over.

The danger is not only to cops, of course, but also to other motorists. By failing to move over or slow down, drivers ignoring Scott’s Law can cause motor vehicle crashes that injure police officers and motorists.

Heintz said the law is clear: “If you’re on a four-lane road, you have to move over. If we’re in the median, go into the right lane. If we’re in the shoulder, move into the left lane.”

ISP has picked up the pace of Scott’s Law enforcement. Last year at this time, troopers had issued 84 citations for Scott’s Law violations. This year, according to a recent news article, the total has more than doubled to 231 tickets.

Who is ignoring the stopped officers? “It’s not always a drunk driver, it’s not always a distracted driver,” Heintz said. “Sometimes it’s people that are just going too fast and not making the necessary adjustments to their driving in a timely manner.”

So far in 2019, nine Illinois State Police troopers have been struck while they were issuing citations or helping motorists who have been in crashes.

By the way, violations of Scott’s Law can include fines of up to $10,000 and include a driver’s license suspension.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a distracted or impaired driver, contact an Edwardsville attorney experienced in personal injury litigation.