Free limited assistance on covered expressways
Free roadside assistance in
Illinois: Emergency Traffic Patrol.
IDOT's Emergency Traffic Patrol in the Chicago area and Emergency Patrol Vehicle program in Metro East clear incidents and assist disabled motorists.
Official sources checked October 6, 2026Call 911 for a disabled vehicle in a hazardous expressway location. Patrol teams are dispatched by transportation and public-safety operations.
The busiest urban expressway systems in the Chicago and Metro East areas, with IDOT highway maintainers supporting incidents elsewhere.
IDOT describes a 24-hour commitment; exact route staffing varies by operating area.
At a glance
Key facts about Emergency Traffic Patrol
This record separates the program operator, request method and actual patrol coverage so motorists can see what the published service does—and what it does not promise.
- Official program
- Illinois Emergency Traffic Patrol
- Operating agency
- Illinois Department of Transportation
- Published cost
- Free limited assistance on covered expressways
- Service area
- The busiest urban expressway systems in the Chicago and Metro East areas, with IDOT highway maintainers supporting incidents elsewhere.
- Request or dispatch route
- Call 911 for a disabled vehicle in a hazardous expressway location. Patrol teams are dispatched by transportation and public-safety operations.
- Information checked
- October 6, 2026
Operator and base
Who runs Emergency Traffic Patrol
Illinois Department of Transportation administers or operates this public motorist-assistance program. The service works through mobile patrol vehicles and traffic-management dispatch rather than as a repair shop that motorists visit.
The official program material reviewed for this page does not publish a public walk-in patrol base. Use the request or dispatch method above rather than traveling to an agency office for roadside help.
Patrol footprint
Where and when the service operates
The busiest urban expressway systems in the Chicago and Metro East areas, with IDOT highway maintainers supporting incidents elsewhere.
IDOT describes a 24-hour commitment; exact route staffing varies by operating area.
The operating agency publishes coverage as a corridor, route or patrol-area description rather than a guaranteed pickup radius. A vehicle inside the described area is not guaranteed an available unit.
Published assistance
What Emergency Traffic Patrol can provide
These services are summarized from the operating agency's current public information. The attending operator decides what is safe and available at the scene.
- Disabled-vehicle assistance
- Incident clearance
- Hazardous-debris removal
- Traffic control and scene protection
Before relying on it
Coverage and service limits
- This is an incident-clearance patrol rather than full mechanical or destination-towing service.
- Coverage is concentrated on listed urban expressways.
- Dispatch and response depend on incident priority.
If you are stranded
What to do before help arrives
These steps combine the program's published request guidance with basic roadside-safety precautions. Conditions at the scene always take priority.
- 01
Move as far away from live traffic as safely possible and switch on the vehicle's hazard lights.
- 02
Use the published request method for this program: Call 911 for a disabled vehicle in a hazardous expressway location. Patrol teams are dispatched by transportation and public-safety operations.
- 03
Call 911 for a crash, injury, fire, vehicle in a live lane or any other immediate danger.
Primary-source record
Check the operating agency
Routes, hours and program rules can change. Use the official sources below for the latest operating information.
