Bill aims to protect stranded Illinois drivers

May 22—After spending several years advocating for laws protecting stranded drivers from injury or even death, Distress Bandanna announced that both houses of the Illinois General Assembly have voted in favor of Senate Bill 2028, which would amend the state's driver safety protocols to include new information and guidance for drivers who are stranded and those who might come across stranded vehicles on the road.

Both Illinois House and Senate voted unanimously to pass SB2028 on May 16.

If the bill is approved by Gov. J.B Pritzker, the state's safety protocols for stranded drivers would be updated and new language would be added to the Illinois Rules of the Road by the Illinois Secretary of State.

According to the bill, the updated protocols, among other things, advise drivers on how to pull safely out of traffic and into a safe location, use hazard lights, when to stay in a stranded vehicle, and when and how to safely exit a stranded vehicle.

"It's a really important bill," said Vivian Anderson, who owns and operates Distress Bandanna alongside her husband, John. "It's gonna really help save lives across the state."

Distress Bandanna is a nonprofit organization that conducts driver safety presentations for young drivers across the state through its Teen Driver Safety Program.

Distress Bandanna, along with a group from Ameren Illinois, visited Teutopolis High School in February to teach the school's driver's education students how to handle a variety of high-risk situations that might occur when they're on the road, including accidents involving downed power lines and becoming stranded on the side of the road.

Distress Bandanna's name comes from its product, a large orange and white bandanna that can be used in a number of emergencies, including stranded vehicle incidents in which the bandanna can be used to safely signal a motorist's need for assistance.

John and Vivian often stress the importance of taking precautions. That includes following the "Move Over" Law, or Scott's Law, which requires drivers to slow down and change lanes as they approach stranded vehicles.

"This bill will ensure that Illinois driver education students will be educated on stranded motorists' safety protocols to reduce injuries and fatalities," Vivian said in an email. "It will be a good reminder for anyone obtaining or renewing a driver's license."

Distress Bandanna has done its driver safety presentation approximately 2,000 times, and they have been heard by about 75,000 student drivers throughout the state.

Several elected state officials are sponsoring the bill, including Illinois State Rep. Katie Stuart and Illinois State Sens. Laura Murphy and Steve McClure. Additionally, the bill has received support from the Illinois High School and College Driver Education Association.

"This bill is going to affect everybody in driver's education," Vivian said.

Vivian said Distress Bandanna's efforts to get the bill passed began just prior to the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, when the group began speaking with state legislators.

In order to raise awareness and support for the bill, Distress Bandanna requested statistics for accidents involving disabled vehicles on state roadways from the Illinois Department of Transportation. They reflect just how dangerous stranded vehicle incidents can be.

The state statistics show that from 2019 to 2021, there were, in Illinois, 456 crashes involving stranded vehicles that caused a total of 29 fatalities and 35 fatal injuries. Vivian noted the IDOT statistics don't include any drivers who moved away from their vehicles when they were struck.

Although drivers can find themselves stranded in a variety of places, Vivian said being stranded on a tollway is particularly dangerous, which is why Distress Bandanna has also teamed up with the Illinois Tollway Give Them Distance Campaign.

"The safety tips are a little different, so we hand out cards to the students about Scott's Law and what to do if you become stranded on the Tollway," she said in an email.

Vivian said tollway data from 2021 shows that more than 27,000 drivers became stranded on Illinois tollways with roughly 1,800 of these instances resulting in an accident.

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.