Durbin Discusses Highway Safety, Trooper Deaths With IDOT
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke to Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Secretary Omer Osman and Paul Loete, Director of IDOT’s Office of Highways, to get an update on what IDOT is doing to prevent roadside deaths in the wake of three Illinois state troopers who died this year after being struck by vehicles on the side of the highway. Durbin urged IDOT to spend resources to better educate the public about the state’s Move Over law, and offered to assist at the federal level by pushing for increased funding for highway safety grants.
“It was good to speak with IDOT leadership today. Illinois passed a law nearly 20 years ago that was supposed to make the roads safer for police and other emergency responders, and we have to do a better job educating the public about protocols on the highway. The deaths of these three heroes is a tragedy, and I’m committed to helping improve highway safety in Illinois any way I can in Congress.”
Yesterday on the Senate floor, Durbin paid tribute to Illinois State Troopers Brooke Jones-Story, Jerry Ellis, and Chris Lambert, all who have died this year being struck by vehicles on the side of the highway. Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.