Jesse White and Raymond Orozco Discuss Scott's Law
How to Respond When Encountering Emergency Vehicles
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and Chicago Fire Commissioner Raymond Orozco spoke to students at Mather High School today about Scott's Law, which tells drivers how to respond when encountering emergency vehicles with sirens and lights displayed.
White and Orozco are working together to improve safety on the road when it comes to emergency vehicles. Scott's Law was passed in 2002 in honor of Scott Gillen of the Chicago Fire Department, who was struck and killed by a drunk driver while assisting at a crash on a busy Chicago expressway.
Every year in the U.S., there are almost 16,000 collisions involving fire department emergency vehicles while responding to or returning from incidents, according to the U.S. Fire Association. These collisions result in over 1,000 firefighter injuries and almost fifty deaths per year.
"Everyday, emergency personnel are working to serve and protect us," White said. "We need to yield the right-of-way to all emergency vehicles. We don't want to end up being on the receiving end of their help due to our lack of alertness or awareness."
"The time is right for everyone to revisit the importance of this law focusing attention on the concerns we have regarding motorists yielding to emergency vehicles on the road," said Fire Commissioner Orozco. "We continue to work with the Secretary of State Jesse White and are thankful for the states continued support and cooperation regarding Scott's Law."
To ensure drivers' safety, pamphlets on responding to emergency vehicles were distributed at the school, as well as at driver's license facilities statewide. One part of the Rules of the Road handbook is currently dedicated to emergency vehicles and the next handbook, coming out in the fall, will feature information on Scott's Law, which states:
- When being approached by an emergency vehicle using audible and visual signals, yield and immediately drive to the right and wait for the emergency vehicle to pass. If stopped at an intersection with two-way traffic, remain stopped until the emergency vehicle passes.
- When approaching a stationary emergency vehicle using visual signals, proceed with caution, yield and change to a lane away from the emergency vehicle.
- When approaching or entering a highway construction or maintenance area, slow down, yield to any authorized vehicle or pedestrian working within the area, proceed with caution, and change to a lane away from the workers.
Penalties include:
- Fines up to $10,000.
- If violation results in property damage: 90-day to one-year driver's license suspension.
- If violation results in injury to another person: 180-day to two-year driver's license suspension.
- If violation results in the death of another person: two-year driver's license suspension.
- If violation occurs under the influence of drugs or alcohol: 90-day driver's license suspension.
In addition to these efforts, White has been working to provide teens with more training in order to make them better drivers. He has introduced the Graduated Driver Bill (Senate Bill 172), which has passed Senate, as well as introduced legislation that gives parents online access to view teens' driving records at no charge (HB 518).
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