DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – The Illinois Tollway reported last week that it is deploying 24-hour-a-day Hot Weather Patrols to more quickly locate and assist customers stranded along its roads during the dangerously high temperatures and humidity expected to continue into this week.
“The Illinois Tollway typically mobilizes special Hot Weather Patrols to provide additional roadside assistance whenever temperatures or heat indexes indicate conditions could be hazardous for drivers stopped along the road,” the Tollway stated in a press release. “The around-the-clock patrols search for drivers stranded in disabled vehicles and respond to calls that come in to *999 motorist assistance, Illinois Tollway dispatch or Illinois State Police.”
“During this dangerously hot weather, we are adding these additional road patrols to better protect our customers by ensuring we can more rapidly find and aid drivers who are stranded along our roads or need assistance,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse. “Safety is always our highest priority and operating these Hot Weather Patrols provides an additional layer of protection to drivers whose vehicles have become disabled so they can quickly obtain the assistance they need to safely continue their travels.”
To obtain help while traveling on the Tollway system, drivers should dial *999 for roadway assistance and note the roadway and direction of travel and nearest milepost or crossroad. Stranded motorists should turn on their emergency lights and remain with their vehicles until help arrives.
While the Illinois Tollway’s Highway Emergency Lane Patrol (H.E.L.P.) trucks run from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, a minimum of 12 Hot Weather Patrols are providing additional coverage around the clock throughout the heat wave to augment H.E.L.P. trucks.
The Hot Weather Patrols consist of crew cab trucks equipped with arrow boards for directing traffic around stranded vehicles and can accommodate passengers if motorists need to get out of the heat or be transported to a Tollway maintenance garage or Tollway oasis while service is obtained.
The Hot Weather Patrols typically assist drivers whose cars or trucks have been disabled by empty fuel tanks, flat tires, batteries needing a boost, or overheated radiators.
Summer Travel Tips
The Tollway offers the following travel tips to keep safe during summer weather:
- Keep your tires properly inflated. Driving on under-inflated tires can cause tires to overheat and increase the likelihood of a blowout, especially when road temperatures are extremely high.
- Make sure fluids are at appropriate levels. Most engine fluids lubricate and serve as coolants by helping carry heat away from critical components. Low fluid levels reduce the cooling effect and increase the possibility of overheating.
- Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle that includes water, non-perishable food items, jumper cables, a flashlight with extra batteries, road flares or an emergency beacon, basic hand tools and a first aid kit.
- Drop It and Drive. Using a hand-held phone while driving is illegal in Illinois.
- Give Them Distance. Drivers are required to slow down and move over when approaching any stopped vehicle that has its hazard lights activated.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
