WREX, the NBC-CW affiliate in Rockford, Ill., produced a series of news reports, Lives on the Line, to bring awareness about Scott’s Law, or the Mover Over Law, which requires a driver to slow down and move over when approaching any emergency vehicle along the side of the road that displays flashing emergency lights.
You’re driving down the road when you see a police car with its lights flashing parked on the side of the street. What should you do?
Slow down and move over one lane if possible. It’s the law in 47 states including Illinois.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCCz9LaS1a8
Just days after the Illinois General Assembly passed new legislation to strengthen Scott’s Law, or the Move Over Law, WREX, the dual NBC/CW affiliate in Rockford owned by Quincy, kicked off a series, Lives on the Line, to bring awareness about the trend of tragedies involving Scott’s Law violations.
So far in 2019, 22 squad cars have been hit and two Illinois State Troopers have lost their lives in crashes involving drivers who were violating Scott’s Law.
Scott’s Law, or the Move Over Law, requires a driver who is approaching any vehicle along the side of the road that displays flashing emergency lights, including commercial trucks and cars, to change lanes or reduce speed.
The law used to apply to authorized emergency vehicles only until it was updated on Jan. 1, 2017.
Scott’s Law was named after Lt. Scott Gillen of the Chicago Fire Department, who was struck and killed by an intoxicated driver while assisting at a crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway in 2000.
Throughout June, WREX will share numerous stories to help viewers get a better understanding of the law and to illustrate how serious the problem has become for law enforcement and other agencies who share the road with drivers.
According to a national poll by Mason Dixon Polling & Research, sponsored by the National Safety Commission, 90% believe traffic stops and roadside emergencies are dangerous for law enforcement and first responders, yet 71% of Americans have not heard of Move Over laws.
Click here for more of WREX’s coverage of Lives on the Line.
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