The ‘move over’ law just added a little more to it

On Nov. 26, 2016, my friend Trooper Cody Donahue was killed by a truck that failed to move over while he was investigating a crash. This is a story we hear all too often.

Prior to that crash, there was a “move over” law already in effect. So why didn’t it work in that situation or countless others? I believe there are several reasons for that. Fully knowing the law is one of them; the other is not paying attention to your surroundings.

The move over law is set up to assist law enforcement, fire and ambulance crews, maintenance workers and tow truck operators to be able to be safer when they are performing their duties on the side of the road.

I have always been a huge advocate of not just looking out for emergency workers but including anyone you see on the side of the road, whether they are changing a tire, taking a break or just making a call (thank you for that by the way).

When are you required to move over? Any time you see any in that first list of people. The move over law requires drivers to either move over or slow down. Simply put, the move over law requires the driver to move one lane away, giving a buffer lane between you and emergency workers on the shoulder or roadway.

When moving over is not available as an option, then you are required to slow down when going by emergency workers. One problem with that has been drivers not understanding what speed they should go when in these situations. New legislation this year added a defined speed, which I think will help curb this problem. The new addition to the law simply states that if you are going 45 mph or faster, you should lower your speed by 20 mph. If the speed limit is less than 45 mph, then you are required to slow to 25 mph.

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