ILLINOIS (WAND) – Law enforcement is cracking down on Scott’s Law violators in an upcoming safety initiative.
The 2019 Officer Safety and Scott’s Law Safety Initiative is happening from April 12-19 across the state. Distracted drivers and people who refuse to move over for emergency vehicles will be the focus of the week, according to the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association.
The emphasis on Scott’s Law, which mandates that people change lanes if possible and slow down when approaching an emergency vehicle on the road, came after the deaths of several Illinois troopers in 2019. Two of them, Brooke Jones-Story and Gerald Ellis, lost their lives in the same week. In Ellis’ case, a wrong-way driver hit his car head-on while he was driving home. A semi-truck hit Jones-Story and her squad car near Rockford.
“Sixteen law enforcement officers have been hit while conducting traffic stops on the side of the road in 2019,” the ISA said. “Illinois has had four traffic-related officer fatalities already in 2019. Enough is enough.”
Drivers are asked to stay focused behind the wheel and obey all rules of the road.
