Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation sponsored in the House by 100th District Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer that will hopefully give drivers more awareness about semis hauling hazardous material.
Davidsmeyer’s says the legislation is designed to educate drivers about the dangers of hazardous materials that vehicles are transporting on Illinois roadways. It came as a response to the deadly crash involving a tanker carrying 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia that killed 5 people and injured 11 in October 2023 near Teutopolis: “This bill just says in the Rules of the Road book that all kids have to go through before they get their driver’s license, we have to include the hazardous material placards so they know that when they get around larger trucks or larger vehicles that have these hazardous material placards that they should be a little bit more careful as they decide to pass or how they drive around those vehicles.”
State Senator Steve McClure sponsored the bill in the Senate. The measure came at the request of Effingham County emergency management officials and responders.