This is just a warning about something that happened to a friend of mine.
She was driving on I-88 in the right lane. She was not speeding. There was an Illinois Police car sitting in the right shoulder with the lights on. The officer was sitting in the car and there was no one pulled over.
She continued in the right lane and passed him. She was immediately pulled over by the cop and cited for violating "Scott's Law" which I found is a law that requires you to move over (if possible) to the left lane if an emergency vehicle is on the side of the road.
She pleaded ignorance of the law but was given a ticket and was assigned a Mandatory court date for which she appeared. She spoke to the judge and he asked her if she wanted a trial. She said that she could not testify that she did not commit the violation but that she was unaware of the law. She pleaded guilty and was fined $100.00.
She thought that was it.
Two weeks later she received a notice from the Secretary of State that her license has been suspended for 3 months because of this violation. She spoke to the Secretary of State office as no one ever mentioned that she would lose her license. As expected, they did not care and if she wanted a hearing on the matter or a hearing to ask for a license to drive to work, she could expect a hearing date in about 3 months.
Just wanted to warn everyone about this. I was not aware of this law although I usually move over anyway. Apparently, in 2007, the state police issued a record number of tickets for this offense.
from IL Sec. of State:
Scott's Law, 625 ILCS 5/11-907(c), mandates that upon approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle, when the authorized emergency vehicle is giving a signal by displaying alternately flashing red, red and white, blue, or red and blue lights or amber or yellow warning lights, a person who drives an approaching vehicle shall:
• proceed with due caution, yield the right-of-way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that of the authorized
emergency vehicle, if possible with due regard to safety and traffic conditions, if on a highway having at least 4 lanes with not less than 2 lanes proceeding in the same direction as the approaching vehicle.
• proceed with due caution, reduce the speed of the vehicle, maintain a safe speed for road conditions, if changing lanes would be impossible or unsafe.
She was driving on I-88 in the right lane. She was not speeding. There was an Illinois Police car sitting in the right shoulder with the lights on. The officer was sitting in the car and there was no one pulled over.
She continued in the right lane and passed him. She was immediately pulled over by the cop and cited for violating "Scott's Law" which I found is a law that requires you to move over (if possible) to the left lane if an emergency vehicle is on the side of the road.
She pleaded ignorance of the law but was given a ticket and was assigned a Mandatory court date for which she appeared. She spoke to the judge and he asked her if she wanted a trial. She said that she could not testify that she did not commit the violation but that she was unaware of the law. She pleaded guilty and was fined $100.00.
She thought that was it.
Two weeks later she received a notice from the Secretary of State that her license has been suspended for 3 months because of this violation. She spoke to the Secretary of State office as no one ever mentioned that she would lose her license. As expected, they did not care and if she wanted a hearing on the matter or a hearing to ask for a license to drive to work, she could expect a hearing date in about 3 months.
Just wanted to warn everyone about this. I was not aware of this law although I usually move over anyway. Apparently, in 2007, the state police issued a record number of tickets for this offense.
from IL Sec. of State:
Scott's Law, 625 ILCS 5/11-907(c), mandates that upon approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle, when the authorized emergency vehicle is giving a signal by displaying alternately flashing red, red and white, blue, or red and blue lights or amber or yellow warning lights, a person who drives an approaching vehicle shall:
• proceed with due caution, yield the right-of-way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that of the authorized
emergency vehicle, if possible with due regard to safety and traffic conditions, if on a highway having at least 4 lanes with not less than 2 lanes proceeding in the same direction as the approaching vehicle.
• proceed with due caution, reduce the speed of the vehicle, maintain a safe speed for road conditions, if changing lanes would be impossible or unsafe.
