Bill
HB 3442
Authorizes leader-follower work zone vehicles with automated systems to coordinate remotely, exempting them from follow-too-closely rules in Illinois work zones.
Status and timeline
- Introduced in February 2025 (Chief Sponsor: Rep. Katie Stuart).
- Referred to the Rules Committee. Committee activity occurred in April–May 2025, including public/subcommittee hearings; reported favorably without amendment on May 6, 2025; placed on the General State Calendar on May 13, 2025.
- If enacted, the Act takes effect immediately upon becoming law.
Purpose
- To authorize and define the use of “leader‑follower work zone vehicles” in Illinois highway construction and maintenance zones as a safety system intended to protect workers and manage work‑zone vehicle operations.
Key provisions
- Adds a statutory definition (625 ILCS 5/1.125.1) for “leader‑follower work zone vehicle”: a motor vehicle used in combination with another motor vehicle in a highway construction/maintenance zone that (1) is equipped with an automated driving system, and (2) is remotely connected to another motor vehicle allowing coordinated or controlled movement while within the operator’s line of sight.
- Amends the “following too closely” rule (625 ILCS 5/11‑710) to state that that section does not apply to the operation of a leader‑follower work zone vehicle. (Other existing spacing/overtaking rules for caravans/towed combinations remain in the statute.)
- Adds Section 11‑1433 (625 ILCS 5/11‑1433) authorizing the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) to implement leader‑follower systems in work zones under their jurisdiction to create a safety system for worker protection.
- Specifies that the operator of the leader vehicle is deemed the driver/operator of the motor vehicles being used in the safety system and that leader‑follower vehicles are “authorized vehicles” while operating in a construction/maintenance zone.
Who is affected
- State agencies: IDOT and ISTHA (authority to implement and operate systems).
- Work zone contractors and operators who may adopt leader‑follower configurations.
- Vehicle operators/drivers designated as the leader operator (statutorily recognized as driver of the system).
- Motorists sharing roadways with leader‑follower work zone vehicles (not subject to the “following too closely” prohibition with respect to those systems).
- Highway construction and maintenance workers (intended safety beneficiaries).
Practical implications
- Establishes a legal framework permitting remotely coordinated, automated vehicle pairings in work zones, removing a statutory obstacle (following‑too‑closely prohibition) to such operations.
- Leaves implementation details (operational protocols, safety standards, signage, enforcement, training, liability/responsibility policies) to IDOT and ISTHA practice and any related administrative rules or contract specifications.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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