Does your state have "Move Over" Laws?

Marie5656

Marie5656

SF VIP
Location
Batavia, NY
Move Over laws basically say that when you are driving, and come upon a police, fire or rescue vehicle along the side of the road, you are required, if safe to do so, to move over to the next lane over, or at least as far as possible when passing. In New York it has been upgraded to include volunteer firefighters and garbage trucks. Any vehicle which may have a person outside the vehicle. You can be ticketed for failing to move over.
Recently, here in Rochester, we had a tow truck driver seriously hurt when hit by a car that passed too close.
For me, I always tried to move over even before the law went into effect.
 

We are required to drive in the outside lane of dual lane roads unless undertaking. Signs remind us of this requirement but I don't think people are booked for ignoring them.
 
Yes, we have move over laws here in Colorado too, for police, emergency vehicles, etc. Like you Marie, I didn't need a new law to make me drive safely and use common sense while driving, part of it is just being courteous.
 
I think the law has been on the books here since around 2001 or 2002 but I've always moved over.

Also, if I'm on the road and see a patrol car coming up behind me, even with no emergency lights or siren on, I'll always scoot over one lane if possible and let him pass and then get back over to where I was out of courtesy to the badge.......most of the time the officer will wave to show he knows what I did and that it was appreciated.
 
We do in most of Europe and have had for many years. In Germany and France the Fire Trucks go one stage further. If a driver fails to "move over" the fire truck moves them over.
 
It is only Common Sense to slow down and move over when an accident, road construction, or something like a police traffic stop appears ahead. However, Common Sense seems to be an attribute that is missing from a sizeable percentage of our drivers. Missouri has adopted a law which requires a fine of $10,000 and a loss of license to anyone who fails to yield and causes an accident in such cases. I hope that the media gives such cases a high priority on the news, so that some of these goofballs begin to take note.
 
Here we are required to move over to the right and stop when an emergency vehicle has lights and siren on. Far too many people don't do that, though. Sometimes I think that getting behind the wheel causes many people to lose about 3/4 of their brain capacity. Just last week at one of our busy intersections, I saw a guy turn left right in front of an oncoming fire truck which had lights and sirens on and was coming at a pretty high rate of speed. I was holding my breath hoping I didn't get splattered with pieces of Volkswagen and driver. ( he did make it through, but how stupid can you get?)
 
This topic reminds me of one of the bigger frustrations I frequently had while working. Johnson County, Kansas, on the Southwest side of Kansas City, is one of the wealthier counties in the Midwest...and many of the people there seem to feel as if they are "Special". They seem to think they Own the inside lane on the Interstate, and "moving over" is Not in their itinerary. Many times, over the years, I saw one of them race down the on ramp, cut through traffic to get to the inside lane as quickly as possible, and then...Slow Down. There were many times, over the years, that I wished I was driving an old pickup truck, with a railroad tie for a front bumper.
 
Don M. said:
This topic reminds me of one of the bigger frustrations I frequently had while working. Johnson County, Kansas, on the Southwest side of Kansas City, is one of the wealthier counties in the Midwest...and many of the people there seem to feel as if they are "Special". They seem to think they Own the inside lane on the Interstate, and "moving over" is Not in their itinerary. Many times, over the years, I saw one of them race down the on ramp, cut through traffic to get to the inside lane as quickly as possible, and then...Slow Down. There were many times, over the years, that I wished I was driving an old pickup truck, with a railroad tie for a front bumper.
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Hey! Don't go pickin' on them Johnson County folk in their Beemers, Mercedes, Lexus, Volvos, etc.!!! We lived in JOCO for 10 years. I know exactly what you are talking about. I believe some in our neighborhood really wanted our Chevy Caprice Station Wagon banned from the county!
We moved to the south side of Olathe in 1990. Very nice area. Our son walked the 4 blocks to elementary school. Our oldest daughter was "left behind" our in Central Kansas. She had a fit when we allowed our son to walk to school in "Kansas City"!!!! :>)
 
Grumpy Ol' Man said:
Hey! Don't go pickin' on them Johnson County folk in their Beemers, Mercedes, Lexus, Volvos, etc.!!! We lived in JOCO for 10 years. I know exactly what you are talking about. I believe some in our neighborhood really wanted our Chevy Caprice Station Wagon banned from the county!
We moved to the south side of Olathe in 1990. Very nice area. Our son walked the 4 blocks to elementary school. Our oldest daughter was "left behind" our in Central Kansas. She had a fit when we allowed our son to walk to school in "Kansas City"!!!! :>)
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Yeah, some of the residents of Johnson County give a whole new meaning to the word "Entitled". I used to have to run down I-35 to Gardner 3 or 4 times a week, and I dreaded that drive.
 
Don M. said:
Yeah, some of the residents of Johnson County give a whole new meaning to the word "Entitled". I used to have to run down I-35 to Gardner 3 or 4 times a week, and I dreaded that drive.
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One of the son-in-laws was born and raised in Gardner. Well, just outside, between Gardner and Edgerton. He's more redneck than preppie, though. Most of my travels during the 10 years in JOCO were downtown or east into Misery. Never really minded driving in the KC area. In fact, would go back there to drive any time over some of the more rural areas. Our small community has college students, military, geriatrics, families, farmers, and preppies all trying to drive the same roads... at different speeds and with totally different attitudes about how and when they get to their destination.
 
Grumpy Ol' Man said:
One of the son-in-laws was born and raised in Gardner. Well, just outside, between Gardner and Edgerton. He's more redneck than preppie, though. Most of my travels during the 10 years in JOCO were downtown or east into Misery. Never really minded driving in the KC area. In fact, would go back there to drive any time over some of the more rural areas. Our small community has college students, military, geriatrics, families, farmers, and preppies all trying to drive the same roads... at different speeds and with totally different attitudes about how and when they get to their destination.
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During my working years, I usually put about 25,000 miles a year on the car...mostly Kansas City area...and trips all over the area. Looking back, I'm amazed that I survived all those years without getting into an accident. Now, when we go to KC to visit the kids and casinos, I make every attempt to avoid being on the road during rush hour....I'm too old for any more of that aggravation.
 
Marie5656 said:
Move Over laws basically say that when you are driving, and come upon a police, fire or rescue vehicle along the side of the road, you are required, if safe to do so, to move over to the next lane over, or at least as far as possible when passing. In New York it has been upgraded to include volunteer firefighters and garbage trucks. Any vehicle which may have a person outside the vehicle. You can be ticketed for failing to move over.
Recently, here in Rochester, we had a tow truck driver seriously hurt when hit by a car that passed too close.
For me, I always tried to move over even before the law went into effect.
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I am surprised such a law is required, here in the UK all right minded slow down or stop in order to let the emergency services pass them if their sirens are on.
 
We have move-over laws in Tennessee however sometimes there is too much traffic to be able to move over and I figure that stopping in the lane would just create more havoc so I slow down and just keep going. Have never seen anyone get a ticket for not pulling over.

What irks me more though, is the fact that people in the left lane will NOT pull RIGHT for an emergency vehicle moving with flashing lights and siren. In Las Vegas, they would get out the bull horn and one guy would lean out the window and holler at the car in front to "Pull RIGHT!" They should do that here, instead of going around them on the right or allowing the car to pull into the turning lane.

This is what we get with no more Driver's Ed in the schools.
 
I don't know if it's an actual law here, it's just always been a given that you move over and stop in Canada. And if you can't pull over because of traffic in lanes beside, you stop where you are. For as long as I can remember thinking about traffic, that's the way it's always been.
 
bluesunflower said:
I am surprised such a law is required, here in the UK all right minded slow down or stop in order to let the emergency services pass them if their sirens are on.
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You misunderstand the topic. We also are required to pull over and let an emergency vehicle overtake us. Move over is when you approach an emergency or service vehicle,(Police,Fire, ambulance,tow truck,etc) from the rear which is on the side of the road. The law requires that if safe to do so, you must move over a lane to afford as much room as possible for the humans utilizing such vehicles. In NY if you cannot safely change lanes,you must slow significantly.
 

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