LAGRANGE – On November 21, 2023, at approximately 4:11 a.m., Illinois State Police (ISP) officials investigated a two-vehicle traffic crash involving an ISP officer’s squad car that was hit by a motorist who failed to move over on Interstate 294 northbound near Deerfield Road in Lake County.
On the above date and time, an ISP Troop 15 trooper was stationary in the left lane of Interstate 294 southbound with emergency lights activated.
The trooper was handling a previous traffic crash when a 2014 Toyota Corolla, traveling southbound, failed to move over, and struck the left concrete median wall before striking the left side of the ISP squad car.
The Trooper was outside of the squad car at the time of the crash and was uninjured. The driver of the Toyota, 44-year-old Joseph W. Allietta of Niles, IL, was also uninjured. The passenger of the Toyota was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Allietta was issued citations for Scott’s Law – Improper Passing of a Stationary Emergency Vehicle and Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident.
So far this year, ISP has had 19 Move Over Law-related crashes. In 2022, ISP had 23 Move Over Law-related crashes where eight Troopers sustained injuries. ISP is reminding the public of the requirements of the Move Over Law, otherwise known as “Scott’s Law”.
When approaching an emergency vehicle, or any vehicle with their emergency or hazard lights activated, drivers are required to slow down AND move over. A person who violates Scott’s Law, commits a business offense and faces a fine of no less than $250 or more than $10,000 for a first offense. If the violation results in injury to another person, the violator’s driver’s license will be suspended for a mandatory period of anywhere between six months and two years.
Additional information can be found at the following link:
https://isp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/340d57cd956c453da2de25af804c268d