Sunday, April 15, 2012

Scott's Law



 How many people have ever seen an emergency vehicle on the side of the road and have never gotten over to the other side of the road to ensure that there will be no harm to that particular vehicle? Well if you haven’t already heard, there is a fairly new law that states that you must try to get over to the left side if there is a car on the right hand side of the road to prevent an accident from happening. This law is called Scotts Law, which is also known as the “Move Over Law.” Scott's Law was named after Lieutenant Scott Gillen of the Chicago Fire Department who was tragically struck and killed by an intoxicated driver while assisting at a crash (Scott’s killer is still serving out his 13 year sentence). In 2001, a bunch of Illinois politicians lead by Lieutenant Governor Corinne Wood got together to pass "Scott's Law" to punish people who drive recklessly near emergency workers. According to the state police website, Scott's Law, 625 ILCS 5/11-907(c), "mandates that upon approaching a stationary emergency automobile one must reduce speed, change lanes if possible, and proceed with due caution." Violation of Scott's Law can result in some severe punishments. According to the state police website, "a  person who is in violation of Scott's Law is going to be cited no less than a $100 fine and no more than a $10,000 fine." Scott's Law also provides that it is a "factor in aggravation if the person committed the offense while under the influence of alcohol, drugs or intoxicating compounds, stated the state police." If this is the case, a person's driving privileges shall be: "Suspended for 90 days to one year if the violation results in damage to the property of another person, 180 days to 2 years if the violation results in injury to another person, and 2 years if the violation results in the death of another person, stated the state police website."
As a result to doing research on this particular law, I found a  few things that I felt were interesting.  There are also a few things I don’t necessarily agree with. This law was passed because a reckless drunk driver killed an emergency worker in a car accident. However, the new law states that a driver can be punished even if no one is killed or injured. The law also doesn’t even require that there be an actual accident.  A person can be pulled over and given at least a $100 citation for just simply driving to close to an emergency vehicle on the side of the road. I understand the point of this law, but I feel that maybe they should have some different standards. I also feel that this law should pertain to any vehicle on the side of the road and not just an emergency vehicle. Any vehicle that is pulled over on the side of the road is at risk for an accident, so I feel that the law should be applied to everyone! Overall, I hope that everyone now has a better understanding of the “Move Over Law,” and will now try to switch lanes if possible, reduce speed, and continue with caution when they see an emergency vehicle or any vehicle on the shoulder of the road.

 

 references:
http://www.isp.state.il.us/docs/1-163.pdf

 

7 comments:

  1. I approve of the Scott Law. I have seen to many stories were officers or civilians have been hit by cars. Whenever I am driving on the highway and see a police vehicle I change lanes. I also always allow others to get over to protect them and the others pulled over.

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  2. This is a very important law and I think it definitely should be extended to include all vehicles that are on the side of the road, not just emergency vehicles. Many times citizens pull over to help a motorist on the side of the road out of the kindness of their heart and by not making the law include these people is not right. I am from a small town south of Bloomington and a couple years ago a car was on the side of the highway with a flat tire. A fellow female mortorist pulled over behind the vehicle to help. That female helping motorist was struck by another vehicle who failed to get over into the left lane and she was killed. Such a terrible thing to happen to a person who was acting out of kindness to help someone else.

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  3. I agree with the Scott Law. People should have to change lanes on the highway when they see a police officer pulling over a vehicle in the other lane. This law not only protects the police officers but also the driver of the other car.

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  4. I always heard of getting over to the next lane when there is an emergency vehicle around, I just didn’t know it was called Scott’s Law. I really like this law because it only takes seconds for an accident to happen and it is a good way to prevent an accident from occurring. I also think it should be applied to all other cars too and not just emergency vehicles. I do however feel that most of the time when someone is pulled over to the side, that people just automatically get over to the other lane. Maybe in time the law will change

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  5. I also agree with the Scott's law. I never did my research on it to find out if it was an actual law. I have heard about it but thought it was a myth. Even with that said i always tried to get over to the left lane if a vehicle was on the shoulder. It is harmless to do, and prevents accidents. But, on the other hand it might cause accidents too, with cars in the blind spot of the vehicle moving over. I still do agree with the law.

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  6. I think that Scott's law is not only right, but just simply logical. I think that the safety of officers on the road is paramount, especially on highways when they get out of their vehicle to talk to civilians. Changing lanes is the least people can do to make sure no accidents happen.

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  7. I believe the most important thing that this law is trying to stress is safety for officers and people alike. My brother caught a flat tire and was signaling to pull over to the side of the road when he was hit from behind from a speeding car. Luckily he was not hurt at all but it could have ended very badly. The amount of speeding accidents and accidents involving drunk drivers has called for legislation to enforce laws like this. It may seem harsh and the fines are pretty steep. A person should not be speeding through a work zone anyway or if they see an emergency vehicle. We do it on the streets so high ways should be no exception.

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