I was driving down on a rural segment of an Illinois interstate last
week when a cop pulled me over. The speed limit was 65mph and I was
NOT speeding. I was not sure why I was pulled over. The officer told
me he stopped me because I violated "Scott Law". This is a relatively
new law and I was completely unaware of it. I found out later that it
was enacted in 2002. According to the law (as I found out later), if
anyone sees an emergency vehicle (police, ambulance, fire) on a
shoulder with flashing lights, they should move over from the right
lane to the left lane on an interstate. Violators can face upto
$10,000 fine and suspension of license depending on the seriousness of
the offense.

In my case, there was no accident, no personal injury, etc. I only
passed the officer's parked car from the right lane, instead of moving
to the left lane. Further, the officer was INSIDE the car when I
passed him and nobody was outside. The officer had apparently pulled
over someone else before me and was writing them a ticket in his car
when I passed him.

He asked me to pay a $75 bond and said I have to appear in the county
court (in two weeks). He said I can face upto $1000 in fines and its
upto the judge to decide. I was very polite with him all along and
pleaded with him about my ignorance of the law and not to cite me or
make my court appearance mandatory. But he did not budge.

I have a clean Illinois driving record. No tickets, citations or
anything in the last 10 years. I don't mind paying a nominal fine but
now, I am afraid that the judge may impose hefty fines on me. Also, I
am highly concerned that this will be reported on my driving record
and bump up my insurance. Has anyone else run into this kind of a
situation? What penalties/fines did you end up with? What is my best
course of action? What should I tell the judge? Please help!

Thanks in advance.
Nervous.