Use common sense behind the wheel

There's no shortage of bad behavior on the road, and most of it can be corrected with a little common sense.

For instance, wouldn't it make sense to give extra room to a police officer parked on the side of the road with his squad car's emergency lights flashing? That's actually a rule of the road under something called Scott's Law. And it's violated so often by so many drivers that police in Lake County are mounting a crackdown that has produced twice as many tickets in the first six months of 2009 than the yearly average since 2002.

Allowing space while passing a stopped police car or other emergency vehicle seems like a no-brainer, right? So does not getting behind the wheel when you've had too much to drink, or multi-tasking by trying to drive while reading, composing and sending text messages.

Sadly, when common sense is ignored, police and government have to crack down and stiffen penalties.

Hence this year's new state law requiring DUI offenders to install a breath monitor on their car ignition to ensure they're not drinking and driving. As for texting while driving, the state is on its way to outlawing that practice.

Scott's Law is designed to protect drivers of police and fire vehicles, tow trucks and highway maintenance cars and trucks. It was named for Lt. Scott Gillen, a Chicago firefighter struck and killed while attending to a traffic accident on an expressway in 2000.

The issue is sensitive in Lake County, where Highland Park Police Officer Robert C. Reimann Jr. died in 1984 when a semitrailer truck slammed into him as he questioned a burglary suspect.

"It has just gotten to the point where something has to be done," Lake County Sheriff's St. Curt Gregory told the Daily Herald's Tony Gordon. "It seems like hardly anyone is aware of what the danger in this is, and we have got to get the word out."

For example, during a demonstration on a busy stretch of Route 41, police waited an average of only about one minute after stopping before a Scott's Law violation took place.

They've responded by sending groups of squad cars to focus on the violation, and writing tickets - lots of them - each carrying a $100 to $200 fine.

Since the law took effect in 2002, records show police in Lake County have written an average of 46.33 tickets per year for drivers who came too close to emergency vehicles on roadsides or went by too fast. In the first six months of 2009, 119 such tickets have been written.

And, it can get much worse - a second violation could lead to a driver's license suspension.

Many offenders told authorities they didn't know it was a law, or they were distracted. Well, it is the law.

We can't pass a law to correct all bad behavior.

Common sense says we all need to be more aware and pay attention on the road.