SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police (ISP) is expanding the number of ways drivers receive alerts when ISP activity is up ahead and they need to slow down and move over. ISP and the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology, (DoIT) are partnering with HAAS Alert to expand notifications to select Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, RAM, and Volkswagen vehicles. These safety alerts to drivers will be powered by Safety Cloud, HAAS Alert’s solution for delivering digital alerts through leading navigation apps and compatible vehicle infotainment systems.
“Move Over crashes are preventable and we’ve had too many troopers killed and injured because of them,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “To keep both ISP troopers and drivers safe, ISP continues to identify new ways to alert people when they need to slow down and move over. Our partnership with HAAS Alert will help us ensure drivers are paying attention and focused on the road ahead.”
ISP is one of the first law enforcement agencies in the country to provide real-time GPS-based traffic information to help prevent what are commonly referred to as ‘Move Over’ crashes. The Move Over Law, also known as Scott’s Law in Illinois, requires drivers to slow down and change lanes when approaching stationary emergency vehicles, including all highway maintenance vehicles displaying flashing lights, and any stationary vehicle with their hazard lights activated.
Building on ISP’s partnership with Google Public Sector and Move Over crash notifications in Waze and Google Maps, the partnership with HAAS Alert will expand these real-time, GPS-based alerts to even more drivers of ISP traffic activity on the road, urging them to slow down and move over and making roads safer for all drivers.
“We are committed to leveraging technology to enhance public safety,” said Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology Secretary and State CIO Sanjay Gupta. “This partnership with HAAS Alert is a significant step towards ensuring that drivers receive timely and critical information, ultimately helping to save lives on our roads.”
To alert drivers to slow down and move over, ISP generates information about a crash, traffic stop, motorist assist, or debris in the roadway, which HAAS Alert then pushes to Safety Cloud for distribution to select vehicle infotainment systems. As drivers approach the GPS location of the ISP trooper, they will see a police icon and receive an alert to slow down and move over.
“As an Illinois small business, we couldn’t be more grateful to do our part in keeping ISP troopers safe on the road,” said Cory Hohs, CEO of HAAS Alert. “Drivers and vehicles today are more connected than ever, and these alerts save lives and prevent tragedies. We’re committed to working with even more automakers in 2025 and beyond to help ensure everyone on the road gets home safely, including and especially first responders.”
Since 2019, two ISP troopers have been killed and more than 60 others injured when motorists fail to move over when passing emergency vehicles on the side of the road.
On January 12, 2019, Trooper Christopher Lambert was handling a crash on I-294. Trooper Lambert was outside his vehicle with his emergency lights on when a vehicle failed to slow down and Trooper Lambert was killed.
On March 28, 2019, Trooper Brooke Jones-Story was conducting a motor carrier safety inspection on U.S. Route 20. Trooper Jones-Story was outside of her vehicle with the emergency lights on when another semi-truck hit her squad car. Trooper Jones-Story was killed as a result.
This new notification system will help drivers see in advance the locations where ISP is handling a crash or other traffic activity, warning people to slow down and move over.
More information about Illinois’ Scott’s Law can be found on the ISP website, as well as a Scott’s Law dashboard that includes information and data about ISP crashes.
Video of the news conference can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ILStatePolice/.