OT: Do you know about the 'Move Over' traffic law?

people in lotus land are very good. they pull over and stop. in ma, they ignore emergency vehicles, so don't die quickly, if you can help it.

Ohio has had one for a while. They also have highway signs "Move Right for Sirens And Lights".

I don't know how successful it has been. Seems like they are trying to legislate common sense......

Started after a commuter slid into an accident scene on "black ice", killing one officer and one fire fighter.

We're a move over state in NC, for about two years now - it came about when a motorist took out a state trooper writing a ticket. Video footage and eyewitness accounts (inc. the officer who saw it coming) clearly showed it was a deliberate assault - but the state had no legal recourse to charge the guy with a penalty commensurate to the crime. The move over law now gives them some recourse for the road rage types that were beginning to make sport out of brushing back cops. The added benefeit of increased safety for cops and emergency workers working on the side of the road is a definite upside for the law - but the driving motivation behind passing the law in NC was the rash of incidents with ticketing officers getting intentionally struck.

The actual law states move over if you can, slow down if you cannot. Generally, I don't believe it's a law they're hot and heavy to enforce, they just want it on the books if needed. There is of course those municipalities that have a little piece of an interstate running thru them and many are not above padding their revenues by trying to do the state patrol's job - so mileage with each LEO or dept may vary. Prior to enforcing the law, the state did an extended period of issuing warning tickets as a form of FYI/PSA about the new law.

I'm on the highway a lot, just spent 12 hours on I-85 Thurs and Fri. I saw plenty of people pulled over in traffic stops (about a dozen), saw plenty of people move over or slow down for them, and I have yet to see the "leap frogging" maneuver where an assisting officer stands by at the ready, to go after a car that fails to move over. Doesn't mean it's not happening, of course - I just don't think it's something they're itching to enforce. Then again, give 'em a bad cup of coffee and a stale box of donuts that morning and who knows what frame of mind they'll be in the rest of the day.

Most of the time the cops go bat shit crazy around here is in the 65-70mph zones where they're already giving us a pretty good legal clip and here comes some jabroni that has to stretch it out to 85mph+. They use a lot of sneaky looking State Patrol Chevy Tahoes down here (assigned mostly to the ex-DMV guys absorbed by the Patrol) - nothing sweeter than watching Ricky Rocket blow by one on the side of the road thinking it's a civie, only to watch that SUV come alive, put the boot to its V-8 and catch the guy in a mile or two.

As long as it's not me, of course. ;-)

Here's a good gallery of what you don't want in your rear view mirror in the Tarheel State - plus a few historical cars and that show up in parades every so often:

The unmarked ones are of course even worse - especially the little Impalas. They're about the last thing you'd expect to see a State Trooper come crawling out of:

Move over, let 'em live.

WmB

Bill - Although that site says there is no law in New York State, I can tell you for a fact that drivers that do not get out of the way for an emergency vehicles or who don't slow down and pull over for parked police cars can and do get tickets for "failure to yield". Back when I was running a municiple survey team, we often had a Sheriff's deputy near us for periods of time to look for violators. And they DID hand out tickets.

There is a NYS law to pull over and stop upon the approach of an emergency vehicle, and it has been in effect for the 38 years I was a LEO.. It is Sec.1144 of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law. It has nothing to do with, nor addresses a lane change, or slowing down, upon approach of a emergency vehicle parked on the side of the road.

§ 1144. Operation of vehicles on approach of authorized emergency vehicles. (a) Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle equipped with at least one lighted lamp exhibiting red light visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred feet to the front of such vehicle other than a police vehicle or bicycle when operated as an authorized emergency vehicle, and when audible signals are sounded from any said vehicle by siren, exhaust whistle, bell, air-horn or electronic equivalent; the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right of way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway, or to either edge of a one-way roadway three or more lanes in width, clear of any intersection, and shall stop and remain in such position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed, unless otherwise directed by a police officer. (b) This section shall not operate to relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with reasonable care for all persons using the highway.

There was not, and is not, any law requiring a slow down or lane change for a parked emergency vehicle in NYS, except for construction sites.where there are prominent warning signs displayed, and that only applies to slowing down.

vehicle, and it has been in effect for the 38 years I

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parked emergency vehicle in NYS, except for

only applies to slowing down.

That's not the move over law.

"Forty three states have passed "Move Over" laws, which require motorists to "Move Over" and change lanes to give safe clearance to law enforcement officers on roadsides." On highways! The map shows 47 states not 43. Cops!

John

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Signs were prominent in Ohio when I drove through.

Interestingly when I was at Edwards in the 80s, they used the stretch of I 5 from Rosamond to Palmdale / Lancaster to train CHP rookies in traffic stops. The old pedal to the metal its Friday after work could end up with a hefty fine. First ran the souped up Mustangs out there. I was driving a 280ZX at the time, never got a speeding ticket. Rather knew the roads they had nobody on.

jaf wrote the following:

I specifically said it was NOT the Move Over law. I was resp "... or who don't slow down and pull over for parked police cars can and do get tickets for "failure to yield"

... and I was citing the law as it is written, showing it does not address parked emergency vehicles.

I'm from MD, and when I was taught to drive, the instructor impressed on me to move over for sirens, as had my parents...

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Bill - I talked to a friend who is in the Erie County Sheriff's patrol and you are right. However he told me that the local police enforce this law by using the "Failure to Yield" statute. Seems that they've tried to get Albany to get off their fat asses and do something along these lines, but they couldn't even get ONE political hack who was holding things up to stop blocking the "No Cell Phones While Driving" law. So until it's passed, they'll do what they can along the same lines. I agree with you (as do they) that THIS LAW MUST BE PASSED!

I , too, normally move over for a police vehicle, assuming one can tell one. The worst incident I have had involved an officer in an unmarked car who was in front of the car he'd pulled over. I was heading west on a two-lane road and saw two cars parked alongside the road. I also had traffic coming eastbound. I slowed a little but just as I was drawing abreast the pulled over car a large door flipped open and out jumped a cop. That was the narrowest brush I've ever had and I was wondering why the officer didn't check his mirror before 'ejecting' himself from his plain brown car. It struck me later as poor situational awareness on both our parts.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.