advertisement

Editorial: Traffic law aims to build safe driving habits

Less than 24 hours before a scheduled news conference last Wednesday to draw attention to a new Illinois tollway safety campaign, two Cook County sheriff's deputies conducting a traffic stop on the tollway were involved in the very type of collision under scrutiny.

Fortunately, the crash did not result in life-threatening injuries. But it did provide an object lesson both in the need for the campaign and the challenges it faces.

The campaign, called "Give Them Distance," seeks to increase drivers' awareness of vehicles stopped along Illinois expressways. The news conference headlined by top tollway officials and Gov. Bruce Rauner called attention to a new state law expanding the reach of previous legislation and toughening the penalties for infractions. Under the new law, drivers are required to slow down and move over for any stopped vehicle with its hazard lights flashing. Hitting such a vehicle could result in fines of as much as $10,000 and imprisonment as long as seven years if someone dies as a result.

It's an important law, and the Give Them Distance campaign carries an important message. Nearly 1,200 people died on Illinois roadways in 2016, officials say, and we're on pace to reach or exceed that number again this year. It doesn't take too much imagination to realize how lucky the driver and the two Cook County deputies were in not being killed when a vehicle moving at highway speeds slammed into their squad cars.

To further emphasize the dangers, a tollway equipment operator described during the news conference the scene he and co-worker witnessed in 2011 when a vehicle smashed into their truck parked along I-90 mere feet from where they were standing.

"They were traveling pretty quick and didn't even hit the brakes. There was no screeching tires. We were standing there awe-struck," said John Wagner.

So, clearly, there's value in increasing the pressure on highway drivers to watch out for vehicles stopped for whatever reason along the highway. But it also bears observing that there's only so much a law can do.

If the revolving dome lights of two police vehicles or the bright flashing lights of a tollway truck don't get a driver's attention, it's too late for the scribbled cries of an arcane state law to do much good.

But perhaps the law and the campaign drawing attention to it can help sear into drivers' consciousness the habit of responding when they see those lights - of reflexively slowing down and moving over.

"If you're a mom with two kids in the back seat who stopped on the should to change a flat tire," Illinois tollway Chairman Robert Schillerstrom said Wednesday, "the law is intended to protect you."

Let's hope it helps, at least.

'Give them distance' campaign seeks to protect stopped cars with hazard lights

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.