New laws that impacted Illinois drivers in 2019
People can become very preoccupied when January begins. Some put their focus towards their New Year’s resolution immediately, while workers and parents are slowly trying to adjust back to their normal schedules after their winter breaks.
Because of this, many often forget or are unaware of what has changed when the clock struck midnight on January 1. New laws that were passed and amended last year are now in effect. There were several new regulations that the state changed in an effort to provide safer roads for the residents and visitors. Drivers should know what these changes involve so they are aware of what the state expects to see on the streets now.
Emergency alarms when necessary
The state passed House Bill 5632 back in August. This new rule enforces ambulances and other rescue vehicles such as firetrucks to only activate their sirens and lamps when it is “reasonably necessary.” Sirens can send drivers into a panic as they move to the side of the street to avoid a potential collision, so it is beneficial to see a law that makes sure that emergency vehicle drivers will not abuse their power. They will only do so if it is a serious emergency such as a burning building or a victim that requires serious medical treatment.
A new DUI factor
DUI arrests are controversial because a large part of the process is the police justifying why they pulled the driver over to begin with. Suspicions of reasonable suspicion can vary within the court, so certain motorists are able to get away with drunk driving if the police’s justification was lacking. House Bill 4554 might make the process slightly easier in the courtroom, as it now makes the courts consider driving the wrong way on the opposite lane as an aggravating DUI factor. This tends to be a less than subtle way of reminding someone that the driver is off, so the police can potentially catch them before they are able to inflict some major damage on the lane.
Out of state insurance
There are plenty of tourists that come through different parts of Illinois to get to Chicago or other beautiful parts of the state. Not all of them carry insurance with their out of state vehicle, which can make the recovery process even more of a pain for a local victim. House Bill 4472 requires every person with a vehicle registered outside the state to have liability insurance in that state. This gives the victim a chance for compensation without going through the complications typically associated with this type of crash.
While these new laws aim to decrease the amount of crashes and ensure fair treatment in the state, only time will tell how effective they are. Victims of recent car crashes should seek legal seek legal assistance from the experienced auto accident attorneys in Belleville IL, Katzman & Sugden LLC, to see how these new laws may affect their situation.