Move Over or Get Pulled Over

The Illinois State Police (ISP) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) are issuing a firm warning to motorists: follow the state’s Move Over Law or face serious consequences.

Known as Scott’s Law, the Move Over Law requires drivers to change lanes and reduce speed when approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with its lights activated. If it's not safe or possible to change lanes, drivers must slow down to a safe speed, proceed with caution, and be prepared to stop.

“We’ve all heard it, move over and slow down for emergency vehicles on the side of the road with their emergency lights activated,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Despite this, we continue to see to crashes, including deadly crashes, because someone refused to move over and slow down. To help end this reckless behavior, we want the public to know that if you fail to move over and slow down in Illinois, you will get a ticket. The days of receiving a warning are over. Move over or get pulled over.”

Scott’s Law covers not only police vehicles, but also ambulances, fire trucks, IDOT Emergency Traffic Patrol vehicles, tow trucks, and other authorized emergency vehicles under the Illinois Vehicle Code. ISP and IDOT are also asking drivers to extend the same caution to any vehicle with flashing lights stopped on the roadside.

“The main goal of the Move Over Law is to eliminate preventable crashes, injuries and deaths,” said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi. “But the easiest way is to please slow down and give plenty of extra distance to people and vehicles on the side of the road. With your help, we can make our highways and streets safer for everyone.”

To reinforce compliance, officials are taking a stricter approach—mirroring strategies used in the past. When seatbelt laws were introduced in the 1980s, enforcement through citations, rather than warnings, played a key role in increasing usage and saving lives. ISP and IDOT aim to make moving over and slowing down just as second-nature as buckling a seatbelt.

To enhance driver awareness, ISP has partnered with Google Public Sector and HAAS Alert. Drivers using navigation apps like Waze and Google Maps, or in-vehicle infotainment systems in brands such as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, RAM, and Volkswagen, may now receive alerts about emergency vehicles stopped ahead.

Violations of the Move Over Law come with stiff penalties—fines ranging from $250 to $10,000. If the violation results in injury or death, it becomes a felony, and drivers may face a license suspension of up to two years.

So far in 2025, ISP has already experienced five Move Over crashes, injuring four troopers. Since 2019, there have been 71 ISP Move Over crashes, including three troopers killed. Numerous other incidents over the years have involved fire departments, IDOT vehicles, ambulances, and tow trucks.

Scott’s Law is named in honor of Lieutenant Scott Gillen of the Chicago Fire Department, who was killed by an intoxicated driver while assisting at a crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway.

More information, including data and crash details, is available on the Scott’s Law dashboard on the ISP website.