Move Over
Safety Service Patrols would like the public to be reminded of the Move Over Law in their state.
If there’s any shoulder work or activity, Self says motorists should give the workers the professional courtesy of moving over or if they can’t move over, slow down.
This module available on the Emergency Responder Safety Institute’s Learning Network focuses on providing transportation agencies with resources and ideas to promote the Move Over Law in their state.
When a Move Over Law was introduced in Maryland in 2010, the Safety Service Patrol was part of a marketing campaign telling people to move over or slow down when there is an emergency vehicle with flashing lights on the shoulder ahead. Yinger said not everyone got that message. “The public needs to pay attention to what’s going on around them and to emergency vehicles and service vehicles on the shoulder or in the road and not drive distracted.”
In Maryland, the Move Over Law does not apply to service vehicles. Florida’s Move Over Law, enacted in 2002, originally focused on moving over for law enforcement officers, first responders and other emergency officials and later expanded to include maintenance vehicles and anyone working on the shoulder with flashing lights.
After more than a decade, Easterling reports people are still not aware of the Move Over Law.
To learn more about the Move Over campaign and how transportation departments can promote it, click here. The linked module was created by Emergency Responder Safety Institute in collaboration with Safe Highway Matters among other highway safety organizations.