FOX 32 rides along to see dangers faced by Illinois State Troopers

CHICAGO - This year, 16 troopers have been hit in Illinois by Scott’s Law violators. Some of those crashes have been fatal.

The problem is drivers won’t move over or slow down. So on Tuesday, Governor JB Pritzker announced changes to Scott’s Law.

FOX 32’s Tia Ewing went on a ride to see the dangers troopers face every single day.

Fourteen years is a long time to ride up and down -- day and night -- patrolling Illinois highways. But now, Trooper Lamar Horton says it’s more dangerous than ever.

Only five months into 2019 and this year is in the record books for Illinois State Police, and it’s not a record any state would want.

In three months, three troopers were mowed down and three families were destroyed.

For nine hours, FOX 32 held on as Trooper Horton took us on a ride to see the unpredictable and risky situations Illinois State Troopers face because drivers don’t know or simply don’t care about Scott’s Law -- also named the “Move Over Law.”

It’s simple to do. Motorists are supposed to slow down and move over at least one lane away from any first responder vehicle or anyone else pulled over in the emergency lane.

Every time Trooper Horton pulled over someone, FOX 32 captured countless Scott’s Law violators.

Last year around this time, Illinois state police issued 339 tickets to motorists who disobeyed the law. For this year, that number is nearing 900.

In March of this year, when the last state trooper was killed, the force launched an awareness campaign and sent a strong message by lighting up the marquees across the Chicagoland area that read “Enough is Enough” and to obey Scott’s Law.

On Tuesday, lawmakers in Illinois realized the severity of people ignoring the law, changing it to now being at minimum a $500 fine.

Governor Pritzker also says there’s more being done to bring awareness.