ILLINOIS – Illinois state police (ISP) and Gov. JB Pritzker announced a new notification system, hoping to reduce traffic accidents involving emergency responders. 

What You Need To Know

  • Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology partnered with Google Public Sector for a new alert system

  • ISP will send real-time GPS-based information to the Google Cloud for Waze to relay emergency traffic information to drivers

  • Scott's Law, Illinois' Move Over law, requires drivers to slow down and change lanes when approaching stationary emergency vehicles

Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology and ISP partnered with Google Public Sector to develop a real-time, GPS-based alert system to tell drivers about upcoming ISP traffic activity.

“The men and women of the Illinois State Police provide an invaluable service in keeping our highways safe, and we owe them every possible effort to ensure that safety is extended to them as well,” Pritzker said.

“The tragic accidents that have injured and killed Illinois State Police officers cannot become an expected hazard of the job. Illinois drivers—slow down, pay attention, and help our law enforcement officers stay safe while they save lives.” 

Scott’s Law, the ‘Move Over law’ in Illinois, requires drivers to slow down and change lanes when approaching stationary emergency vehicles, including highway maintenance vehicles. Illinois has seen many accidents related to failure to move over.

In the past five years, 51 people were injured in such accidents and two ISP officers died in 2019.

On Jan. 12, 2019, Trooper Christopher Lambert was outside his vehicle, with emergency flashers on, handling a crash on I-294 when a driver failed to slow down, then struck and killed Lambert. 

A few months later, on March 28, Trooper Brooke Jones-Story performed a motor carrier safety inspection on U.S. route 20. While she was outside her squad car with its emergency lights on, a semi-truck and she died as a result.

To assure accuracy and timeliness, ISP will generate information for google to relay to drivers.

"This new alert system is a critical step in keeping our roads safer for both law enforcement officers and drivers," Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said.

"By using real-time technology to help prevent ‘Move Over’ crashes, we’re not only protecting those who protect us but also ensuring a safer driving experience for everyone in Illinois."

ISP is among the first law enforcement agencies in the nation to use real-time GPS-based traffic information.

“Too many Illinois State Police officers have been killed or injured in ‘Move Over’ crashes,” ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly, said. ​

“In our determination to protect our troopers and prevent ‘Move Over’ crashes anyway we can, ISP partnered with the Department of Innovation & Technology and Google Public Sector on a real-time notification system that warns people of traffic issues ISP is handling on the road ahead. ​ The advanced warning gives people time to slow down and move over, reducing the risk of a crash for both drivers and troopers.” 

The process begins when ISP sends their GPS coordinates to the Google Cloud. Waze transforms the information into an alert message that’s distributed to approaching drivers. A police crash or disabled vehicle icon will appear on their map screen and an alert to slow down and move over.

Google maps will show similar icons in the coming weeks.

“The collaboration between DoIT, ISP, and Google Public Sector represents a significant milestone in leveraging innovative technology to protect both drivers and law enforcement officers,” Illinois DoIT Secretary and Chief Information Officer Sanjay Gupta said.

“By providing real-time notifications to drivers about police presence on the roadway shoulder, we are improving the safety of the driving environment for everyone. We are proud to be at the forefront of this solution.” 

“Our partnership with the Illinois State Police is a pivotal step toward enhancing road safety and protecting those who protect us,” said Brad Hoffman, director, State & Local Government and Education, at Google Public Sector.

“By routing incident information through Google Cloud to populate in Waze and Google Maps, we can help ensure drivers are better informed and attentive when approaching road incidents. We applaud the Illinois State Police and Gov. Pritzker for taking a proactive approach to preventing 'Move Over' crashes and safeguarding the lives of those who serve and protect communities across the state.”

For more information on “Scott’s Law,” visit the ISP website and Scott’s Law dashboard, which includes information about ISP crashes.