Police begin enforcement of Move Over law

The Pennsylvania State Police along with the other members of the 6-State Trooper Project are focusing on education and enforcement of the Move Over law. This initiative began July 19 and will continue until July 25. The agencies involved with this initiative are the Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, West Virginia State Police, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Every day, first responders take to the streets to help keep everyone safe. Every day, they put their lives at risk to do so. One of the most dangerous parts of a first responders’ job is stepping out on the side of the road, whether it is for a traffic stop, to assist a motorist, or to investigate a crash.

In order to protect those who protect us, every state has “Move Over” laws, requiring drivers to move over and/or slow down when approaching stopped emergency vehicles with emergency lights activated.

Pennsylvania Vehicle Code, Title 75, Section 3327 Duty of driver in emergency response areas states: When approaching or passing an emergency response area, a person, unless otherwise directed by an emergency service responder, shall: pass in a lane not adjacent to that of the emergency response area, if possible; or if passing in a nonadjacent lane is impossible, illegal or unsafe, pass the emergency response area at a careful and prudent reduced speed reasonable for safely passing the emergency response area.

The mission of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce the economic cost of crashes on our nation’s highways. This mission extends to law enforcement and emergency personnel as well. We have a responsibility to protect those who protect us.