ST. LOUIS – 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 to deliver digital alerts through navigation apps.

“Move Over crashes are preventable and we’ve had too many troopers killed and injured because of them,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly in a press release. “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. 

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.

Since 2019, two ISP troopers have been killed and more than 60 others injured.

On Jan. 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.