Illinois State Police to expand technology to get drivers to move over

Friday, December 20, 2024 at 7:28 AM

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 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.

These safety alerts to drivers will be powered by Safety Cloud, HAAS Alert’s solution for delivering digital alerts through leading navigation apps and compatible vehicle infotainment systems.

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

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.

Building on ISP’s partnership with Google Public Sector and Move Over crash notifications in Waze and Google Maps, the partnership with HAAS Alert will expand these real-time, GPS-based alerts to even more drivers of ISP traffic activity on the road, urging them to slow down and move over and making roads safer for all drivers.

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.