The often ignored “Move Over” Law is putting CHP and other highway workers lives at risk

It’s been a law for more than ten years, but California Highway Patrol says it’s frequently forgotten.

The “Move Over or Slow Down” Law went into effect in 2007.

Officer Beau Biter with Santa Cruz Area CHP says, “drivers are supposed to move over if a lane is available or slow down. The law doesn’t state a certain speed for drivers to be at, but a rule of thumb is to be able to react.”

With the heavy Santa Cruz County traffic, moving over is not always an option. That’s why CHP stresses that you need to slow down to a reasonable speed instead.

“Accidents happen in less than a second, and being on the side of the road in certain spots we have no where to go,” says Officer Biter.

And tragic accidents have happened in this area, “we’ve had officers killed in the line of duty, Specifically in 2005 a lieutenant was killed while he was on the side of the freeway on highway 17,” says CHP Sgt. Grant Boles.

That Lieutenant was Michael Walker. He was killed while assisting a stranded motorist on New Years Eve.

Less than two years later, the Move Over law went into effect aiming to prevent that.

It doesn’t only apply to emergency crews, it applies to all highway workers with lights activated, including CalTrans, tow-trucks and PG&E.

Rather than slowing to a reasonable speed, CHP sees some drivers slamming on their breaks, which can cause another accident. With distracted driving on the rise, it’s making their job tougher in an already dangerous environment.

Officer Biter says, “most, if not all accidents are preventable. And the laws are put in place to help reduce those numbers, distracted driving and speed are some of our top factors.”

Next time you see those flashing lights, Officer Biter says remember this, “whether we’re on a traffic stop or helping a disabled vehicle, our end goal is to go home at the end of the night, we want to go home, we want to be safe. If they could just remember if there is a lane available to move over, if not, just slow down.”

If you are cited for not moving over or slowing down, that could cost you $200 to $300.