Bill
SB 1559
IDOT must conduct post-crash analyses after any pedestrian fatality at a State highway intersection, publish results, and identify safety improvements.
Status and key dates
- Bill: SB 1559 — enacted as Public Act 104-0110
- Introduced: February 21, 2025
- Signed by Governor: June 20, 2025
- Effective date (Public Act): January 1, 2026
Purpose and intent
- To strengthen post‑crash review and roadway safety planning by requiring the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to conduct formal traffic studies after any crash that results in a pedestrian fatality at an intersection of a State highway, and to make those results publicly available. The goal is to identify contributory factors and recommend infrastructure or control changes to reduce future fatalities and serious injuries.
Key provisions
- IDOT powers (existing, restated): authority to develop and coordinate traffic‑safety programs and to assist counties, cities, towns, and other subdivisions with planning, traffic flow, signal synchronization, carpool lanes, and carpool parking allocations.
- Mandatory post‑fatality traffic study:
- Trigger: any crash involving a pedestrian fatality that occurs at an intersection of a State highway.
- Scope: must consider alternative geometric design improvements, traffic control devices, and other improvements IDOT deems necessary to reduce crashes and fatalities at the location.
- Public access: results of the study must be made available on IDOT’s website.
- Additional analytical requirements (subsections):
1. Identify trends, patterns, and correlations, including those tied to fatal or serious injury outcomes for pedestrian and bicyclist population groups.
2. When appropriate, conduct analyses and identify potential actions to increase traffic safety (examples include street design and infrastructure modifications).
3. Coordinate analyses and recommended actions with other departments, agencies, or organizations as relevant.
4. Make reports of analyses and study results available to the public upon request.
Who is affected
- Primary: Illinois Department of Transportation (new, recurring study and reporting responsibilities).
- Secondary: municipal and county transportation agencies (coordination and potential implementation of recommended changes), roadway engineers and planners, law enforcement (data sources/coordination), and the public (increased transparency).
- Intended beneficiaries: pedestrians and bicyclists through data‑driven safety improvements at State highway intersections.
Potential impacts and implementation notes
- Transparency: public posting of studies increases access to crash analyses and recommended countermeasures.
- Planning and funding: findings could guide IDOT and local agencies in prioritizing safety projects; some recommendations may require additional funding and engineering work.
- Workload: IDOT will incur staff time and technical resources to perform studies, analyses, and interagency coordination.
- Scope limitation: requirement applies specifically to intersections of State highways (not explicitly to municipal or federal intersections in the enacted text).
Legislative history (high‑level)
- Passed both chambers with amendments; enrolled and signed into law as Public Act 104-0110; effective January 1, 2026.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
