Soon, You May Receive a ‘Move Over’ Notification in Illinois

It's not advised that you mess around with your phone when you're driving in Illinois, but there is one notification that you should definitely pay attention to. Soon, you'll start receiving "Move Over" notifications in Illinois and this is the reason why.

Yahoo is reporting that the Illinois State Police are partnering with Google to make possible "Move Over" notifications when emergencies happen. They say it's work done by the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology which will use GPS to determine when drivers are in the path of emergency vehicles so they'll receive an alert letting them know they need to pull over and make way for police and other first responders.

“The men and women of the Illinois State Police provide an invaluable service in
keeping our highways safe, and we owe them every possible effort to ensure that safety
is extended to them as well,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The tragic accidents that
have injured and killed Illinois State Police officers cannot become an expected hazard
of the job. Illinois drivers—slow down, pay attention, and help our law enforcement
officers stay safe while they save lives.”

Illinois' Scott's Law was passed 7 years ago and requires drivers to pull over for emergency vehicles so this new technology will be used to help make that more seamless.

I think this is a great idea, but I do have concerns. I put my phone away and out of my sight when driving so it's likely I wouldn't see notifications like this. I suppose I would at least hear the ding and if I hear emergency vehicles nearby, that would clue me in to making sure I find a way off the roadway to make way for the responding officers.

Face it. When you have a smartphone, the state knows where you are at all times. Using technology to potentially save lives is a good thing. Let's hope the deployment of this new notification is safe and effective for everyone.