JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Many people will be heading back to work Wednesday morning after a long holiday break. With the new year comes an old reminder—January is “Move Over” month and officials want to remind you to follow the law when you see law enforcement stopped on the side of the road.
The law does not apply to just law enforcement, it is also for tow truck drivers, utility service drivers and other first responders.
The Move Over Law follows these rules:
- If you see one of these vehicles stopped on the side of the road, you should move over to the next lane to give them space.
- If you cannot safely change lanes, you need to reduce your speed to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit.
- If you are driving on a two lane road, you will need to slow down, reducing your speed to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit.
By not following the law, there is a risk of causing a bad accident or possibly killing someone. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles found in 2017, there were 220 crashes as a result of people not moving over. Out of those crashes, seven involved serious bodily injuries.
With reminders about the Move Over Law, the department also wants to remind drivers to put their phones down.