Why You Must Slow Down In New York When Passing Emergency Vehicles

All About the Move Over Law and Emergency Vehicles

Are you aware of Move Over Laws that say you must move over if a police car, ambulance, or fire truck is stopped on the roadway and give these vehicles room in order to avoid a possible accident?

In recent years, various versions of a move over law have been passed in many states that mandate you must yield to emergency vehicles and “move over” or you could face fines or a penalty.

Read on to learn more about the laws regarding yielding to emergency vehicles so you can be prepared whenever you see one on the road.

What is a Move Over Law?

States like Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia are just some examples of states that now have a move over law. This law states that all motorists who are traveling in the lane adjacent to the shoulder must move over one lane whenever any emergency vehicle or utility vehicle is stopped on the side of the road.

All first responders like police, state police, fire, and EMS, as well as utility and department of transportation vehicles, are all covered under this law when it comes to drivers moving over. The purpose of the law is to keep offices, other drivers, and road workers safe from being hit by a passing car.

Sadly, the number of officers and other highway and emergency professionals killed during a traffic stop or crash response has increased all over the United States. Over 30 states currently have some form of a move over law that issues fines and citations to violators.

While hefty fines are certainly something you want to avoid, crashes are what you really want to try to prevent. Traffic crashes kill more police than any other cause of death, even shootings. Even when emergency vehicles have their lights on, drivers moving at highway speeds can easily crash into them if they don’t move over in time.

Yielding to Emergency Vehicles

Besides having to move over to the adjacent lane when you see an emergency vehicle stopped in the road, you should also always yield to emergency vehicles that are approaching. This clause is also included in the move over law in most states.

You should always yield the right-of-way to emergency vehicles and immediately move to the right side of the road whenever one is approaching. Stay still and come to a stop until the emergency vehicle (or vehicles) has passed.