Illinois Law Regarding Police Lights & Sirens

Police car lights and sirens protect the safety of nearby drivers and pedestrians. The lights and sirens help police by telling other drivers to get out of their way and they protect others from speeding police.

Officer Requirements

• Illinois law requires police to turn on oscillating lights, rotating lights, flashing lights, sirens or some combination of these kinds of alerts during a high-speed response. Officers should also use lights and sirens to warn pedestrians while they approach emergency situations. However, officers do not always have to use sirens and lights if a covert approach to an emergency would decrease officer safety.

Driver Laws

• The Illinois Secretary of State publishes the Illinois Rules of the Road, which explain that drivers should pull to the right side of the road to let emergency vehicles with lights or sirens to pass. In two-way intersections, drivers must completely stop to let emergency vehicles pass. Drivers approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with its emergency lights on should change to a lane away from the vehicle when possible and pass carefully.

Effects

• In general, these laws help prevent accidents and increase the efficiency of emergency police responses. They also help make drivers accountable for their actions in emergency situations. Drivers who fail to yield to emergency vehicles and cause an accident that injures or kills an emergency worker can lose their driving privileges for 90 days or more.