CHICAGO – Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard Lake County Managing Partner Tara R. Devine was recently interviewed on FOX 32 about the new Illinois traffic laws drivers need to know as we head into 2025:
- O’Hare driver safety (HB 5408): The newly established “O’Hare Driver Safety Act” makes it illegal for a driver to stop on the shoulder of a highway, entrance ramps, and exit ramps within a 2-mile radius of O’Hare Airport. Those in violation will be subject to a $100 fine.
- Updates to Scott’s Law (HB 5370): Lawmakers have expanded Scott’s Law to include emergency scenes, emergency vehicles, and construction zones as scenarios in which a driver must yield to the right of way by making a lane change. It also clarifies that when changing lanes is not possible, the driver is required to reduce their speed and proceed with caution.
- No fee for stolen plate replacement (SB 3471): Lawmakers are aiming to provide victims of license plate theft with a little relief in the new year. Beginning in 2025, the Secretary of State will be able to issue a new set of license plates to an owner of a vehicle whose plates were stolen without a fee.
- Essential items from towed vehicles (SB 2654): Drivers will now be allowed to recover essential items from a towed vehicle prior to its release, including medical devices, social security cards, and textbooks. If the vehicle has been stolen and later towed, the storage fees will be waived if the vehicle is recovered within 7 days.
- Driver’s license term extension (SB 0275): Drivers can breathe easy knowing they will need to take less trips to the DMV in the coming years. Qualified applicants will have the option to be issued a license that would be valid for 8 years, instead of the current 4. However, the change won’t go into effect immediately in 2025 – The Secretary of State’s office has until January 1, 2027 to submit the rules for the new licenses. The new licenses would then be offered no later than July 1, 2027.
Please click here to watch Ms. Devine’s full interview with FOX 32.
