Not Spyder... But its the law

[effgjamis]

I am not sure that most people are aware of the Move Over America Law. I sure wasn't.


In case you didn’t know, there’s yet something else to remember…

A GOOD THING TO KNOW:


New Law: If a patrol car is pulled over to the side of the road, you must change to the next lane (away from the stopped vehicle) or slow down by 20 mph. Every state except Hawaii and Mary land and D.C. has adopted this law now.

http://www.moveoveramerica.com/

[Firefly]

I am not sure that most people are aware of the Move Over America Law. I sure wasn't.
http://www.moveoveramerica.com/

Good thing to post for those that don't know about this. I see people that don't move over all time and it 's me off. Every know and then you hear of one of these fine officers getting killed because someone didn't move over.

Good law!

[Roger]

As a former tow truck driver they should extend this law to them also.

[dltang]

I am not sure that most people are aware of the Move Over America Law. I sure wasn't.


In case you didn’t know, there’s yet something else to remember…

A GOOD THING TO KNOW:


New Law: If a patrol car is pulled over to the side of the road, you must change to the next lane (away from the stopped vehicle) or slow down by 20 mph. Every state except Hawaii and Mary land and D.C. has adopted this law now.

http://www.moveoveramerica.com/

Thanks for posting for others Forrest. Being in EMS and dealing with many law enforcement officials, I was aware of this. I know many are not though.

[Firefly]

Too bad common sense is in such short supply these days---- I always move to the other lane if there is anything going on (wrecker, EMT, stalled car,etc.).

[SpyderGirl]

As I fully agree with the law and move over when I can, this could wreak havoc on Bay Area traffic.

ACTUAL PHOTO (no accident, not a holiday weekend, nada... just 9 lanes of stopped traffic during an afternoon commute on a dry Wednesday afternoon in March).

[bikeguy]

I agree this is a good law and I was aware of it in Texas but not aware that it was also law in most other states. Thanks for passing that information along, effgjamis.

Here in west Texas, most of our roads are two lane so we have to slow down instead of changing lanes. Recently, I slowed by 20 mph when I saw a State Trooper with a vehicle stopped and was actually passed by a driver who didn't slow at all. I had a friend who used to say that a person's brain should be weighed before they were allowed to drive. I'm afraid they wouldn't have a scale sensitive enough to weigh that driver's brain.

Cotton

[draboo]

I know from personal experience what happens when you DO NOT move over..you get stopped for it. At least in da U.P..

This was in 2005. I don't know if there this law was in effect or not at that time.

[VaughnCat]

ACTUAL PHOTO (no accident, not a holiday weekend, nada... just 9 lanes of stopped traffic during an afternoon commute on a dry Wednesday afternoon in March).

Been there, done that..... glad to be away from it....
in our little town, rush hour means an extra 3 minutes to get thru town

Oregon just adopted that move over law this year.

[krb1945]

the books for several years over here in my area of the east coast. They, the traffic divisions, were having an extraordinary number of officers being hit by speeding vehicles. Drivers were looking at the blue flashers and like a lot of drivers they drive where they are looking. I've seen a few dash cam videos and they were not pretty. Most of the officers have been lucky, except for the fact they were hit, escaping with their lives. There was a state officer in NC that wasn't so lucky. //Ken

[FANG]

Hey Forrest -- thanks for the info

May be a problem for Doc though -20 from 110mph means he will pass them at 90 I don't think this is what they had in mind.

[boborgera]

. Drivers were looking at the blue flashers and like a lot of drivers they drive where they are looking. //Ken

It's called Target Fixation. Every driver should know about it.
It can happen to any body. But I'm pretty sure in most states you can take the drivers test in Braille.
I think in Jersey you can take the test by
Proxy.

[scudrunner]

I believe the law in Texas covers 'emergency vehicles' not just police cars. By the way, a police car sitting on the side of the road without emergency lights is NOT an emergency vehicle.

[mxz600]

I think a person should get in the next lane whenever possible no matter what the vehicle is that is stopped along the road. The key words being "whenever possible". It totally pisses me off when someone comes into my lane when I am about to occupy that space and I have to drive off the side of the road to avoid them. I don't care what is in the way, no one has the right to cross the center line when there is oncoming traffic.

[jgwoods]

Is this related to the "Bend Over America" law?

ooops no that's health care...

Its a good idea- but about half the folks around here haven't gotten the message and still stay in the right hand lane cutting it close to stopped cruisers.

[Smylinacha]

Looks like Southwestern CT on any given day, except we only have 3 and two lanes of traffic! Doesn't matter what time you take the Merritt or I95 - it always gets like that. Add in pot holes, jersey barriers, road construction, idiot drivers -so much fun

As I fully agree with the law and move over when I can, this could wreak havoc on Bay Area traffic.

ACTUAL PHOTO (no accident, not a holiday weekend, nada... just 9 lanes of stopped traffic during an afternoon commute on a dry Wednesday afternoon in March).

[NancysToy]

Looks like Southwestern CT on any given day, except we only have 3 and two lanes of traffic! Doesn't matter what time you take the Merritt or I95 - it always gets like that. Add in pot holes, jersey barriers, road construction, idiot drivers -so much fun

And I get hives about heavy traffic on two lousy lanes of I-94. You folks on both coasts are brave! No thanks! No wonder being in any city with buildings more than three stories tall gives me a rash.

[Smylinacha]

And I get hives about heavy traffic on two lousy lanes of I-94. You folks on both coasts are brave! No thanks! No wonder being in any city with buildings more than three stories tall gives me a rash.

I need beer Big Time when I get home from riding on roads like that. I can't stand it. That is why we don't go that route if we don't have to. We get out of the Southwestern portion of the state and usually head North into Mass or NY State, VT. It is awful where we live - not far from NYC which is very cool but you pay the price for living close to it. Not to mention all the trash people throw out of their cars all over the road. It's sad.

[bone crusher]

I am not sure that most people are aware of the Move Over America Law. I sure wasn't.


In case you didn’t know, there’s yet something else to remember…

A GOOD THING TO KNOW:


New Law: If a patrol car is pulled over to the side of the road, you must change to the next lane (away from the stopped vehicle) or slow down by 20 mph. Every state except Hawaii and Mary land and D.C. has adopted this law now.

http://www.moveoveramerica.com/

Maryland might not have it but you'll get pulled over for any and everything else...

[Roaddog2]

Maryland might not have it but you'll get pulled over for any and everything else...

That is like were they have the DOT College for all truck enforment in the U.S.A.When I used to drive we would avoid it at all cost.
Good law but then I have always done it with out a law

[Tom in NM]

. . . . why there are so many laws, but then something like this law comes along.

It is just common sense and consideration to slow down if ANY vehicle is at the side of the road - police cars, ambulances, wreckers, people changing tires, and the list goes on. Why this has to be a law is disturbing and a sad commentary on driving habits. And still, I see drivers ignoring the law and basic commonsense.

Every area seems to have its prevalent attitudes in drivers - here in New Mexico, everyone seems to be concerned that they have " the Right of way ". Today, I heard that very phrase when the car in front of me, hit a car making a turn in front of it at an intersection ( the hit car had to stop because some pedestrians started to cross the street just after they started to make the turn ). The car in front of me hit them, "luckily" it was in a school zone and traffic was moving at under 20mph. The shocking thing to me was that the car in front of me did not even slow down - being directly behind them, I could see, they did not even touch their brakes until after the collision - nor did they swerve. Fortunately, pre-lawyers, nobody was hurt.

I was "driving ahead" and saw the car turning and had started braking - there was plenty of room to not hit the other car. After the collision, the driver who hit the car got out and was yelling that he " had the Right of way ".

No matter how you view it, "the pinnacle of evolution" or "the image of God", it is sad.

Tom

[NancysToy]

. . . . Every area seems to have its prevalent attitudes in drivers - here in New Mexico, everyone seems to be concerned that they have " the Right of way ". Today, I heard that very phrase when the car in front of me, hit a car making a turn in front of it at an intersection ( the hit car had to stop because some pedestrians started to cross the street just after they started to make the turn ). The car in front of me hit them, "luckily" it was in a school zone and traffic was moving at under 20mph. The shocking thing to me was that the car in front of me did not even slow down - being directly behind them, I could see, they did not even touch their brakes until after the collision - nor did they swerve. Fortunately, pre-lawyers, nobody was hurt.

I was "driving ahead" and saw the car turning and had started braking - there was plenty of room to not hit the other car. After the collision, the driver who hit the car got out and was yelling that he " had the Right of way ".

No matter how you view it, "the pinnacle of evolution" or "the image of God", it is sad.

Tom

So true...in Michigan, too. A few years ago I stopped (in my pickup) at an intersection when the light went yellow. A gal that was half a block behind me when I braked, hit me in the rear, under acceleration trying to make the light. She got so belligerent arguing with the cop that she had the right away and I should get a ticket for stopping, that he finally had to cuff her and put her in his car. I guess she really believed it!

[SpyderGirl]

Looks like Southwestern CT on any given day, except we only have 3 and two lanes of traffic! Doesn't matter what time you take the Merritt or I95 - it always gets like that. Add in pot holes, jersey barriers, road construction, idiot drivers -so much fun

If we only had 2 and 3 lane highways with the amount of traffic here, no one would get anywhere!

[SpyderGirl]

I need beer Big Time when I get home from riding on roads like that. I can't stand it. That is why we don't go that route if we don't have to. We get out of the Southwestern portion of the state and usually head North into Mass or NY State, VT. It is awful where we live - not far from NYC which is very cool but you pay the price for living close to it. Not to mention all the trash people throw out of their cars all over the road. It's sad.

It's quite sad. I want to get out of here so badly and move out to somewhere a little closer to the middle of nowhere.

[Smylinacha]

If we only had 2 and 3 lane highways with the amount of traffic here, no one would get anywhere!

Nobody gets anywhere here that's for sure. If you live lets say 10 miles from where you work and where you work is in Southewest CT, highways are packed by 6 a.m. Takes you close to 2 hours to go 10 miles. Thank God I only work 4 miles away and NOT in that direction! Takes me longer to get through my parking lot than it does to get from home to the gate at work. Accidents daily on the Merritt & I95 - daily, several, usually smashed up into the guardrails, someone isn't looking, someone is on the cell phone, someone is reading a book, putting on makeup, trying to calm down screaming kids in the car. This is daily, not just once but several times a day at any time of day.