During the month of February, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) joined forces with the Alabama and Georgia Highway Patrols in an awareness and enforcement campaign for the Move Over Law. The campaign was conducted over a 29 day period and a lot of drivers found out about the Move Over Law the hard way.

Many Americans are unaware that the Move Over Law even exists. Forty nine states have some form of the law and, in Florida's case, the law will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. The law was created to protect law enforcement and emergency personnel who are assisting other motorists by the side of the road. The law requires motorists, when they see an emergency vehicle, with its emergency lights flashing, to move over into the lane farthest from the emergency vehicle or, if they can't move over, to slow down to 20 mph under the posted speed limit until they are safely past the emergency vehicle. Emergency vehicles include police, fire/rescue and tow trucks.

The law was passed in response to the high number of emergency personnel who are struck and killed each year while working alongside the roadway. On average, at least one emergency worker a month is struck and killed while working on the side of the road. More than 170 police officers have been killed since 1999. In January, a veteran Atlanta police officer was killed as she was getting out of her patrol car at the scene of an interstate collision in downtown Atlanta.

During the February campaign, the FHP issued 1,266 citations for violation of the Move Over Law. In addition, they issued more than 69,000 traffic citations, with almost 24,000 for speeding and made 620 arrests for DUI.

Don’t wait to get a citation to learn about the Move Over Law. You can find out more information on your state’s Move Over Law by visiting http://www.moveoveramerica.com.

Labels: Highway Safety, Law Enforcement, move over law, Mover Over America

What is an Emergency Vehicle?

Emergency vehicles take many forms and, while most are obvious, not all are. The obvious ones belong to state and local police and fire departments but there are other types of first responders that aren’t commonly seen on the roadways.

Law enforcement – Most law enforcement agencies such as the state highway patrol, county sheriffs, and local police agencies are easy to spot. Other state or federal agencies that also respond to emergencies or conduct routine law enforcement can include:

• Department of Transportation – Conducting routine safety inspections on commercial vehicles.


• Department of Environmental Protection – Responding to hazardous material spills or leaks.


• Department of Fish and Wildlife/Forestry – Providing law enforcement on state lands and parks


• Any unmarked vehicle equipped with sirens and flashing red or blue lights
  Some states mark these vehicles as “Sworn Law Enforcement Officer” or “State Law Enforcement Officer”. As such, the law enforcement officers driving these vehicles have the power and jurisdiction to stop vehicles and issue traffic tickets.

Fire/Rescue – Fire and Rescue vehicles can include:

• Fire trucks


• Ambulances


• Command vehicles –such as the battalion chief’s car or large, on scene, command vehicles

Ambulances – Ambulances can be from both government and private companies

Tow Trucks – This is one type of vehicle that most people fail to think of as an emergency vehicle but the work of these types of vehicles is critical in keeping the roadways clear.

What to do when an Emergency Vehicle approaches

Drivers should always be on the lookout for emergency vehicles. In modern cars with air conditioning and stereos, drivers may not hear an approaching emergency vehicle. Often, police agencies, not wanting to warn a prowler of their approach, will respond with lights only and no siren.

• In your lane - If an emergency vehicle is approaching in your lane, pull over to the nearest edge of the roadway and clear an opening. Seconds count in an emergency situation and any delay could be deadly to the persons requiring aid.


• In the opposite lane – If an emergency vehicle is approaching in the opposite lane, be prepared to slow or stop if the vehicle needs to turn into your lane.

Following Emergency Vehicles

Most states have laws prohibiting any vehicle from following within 500 feet of an emergency vehicle. Some states also have laws prohibiting entering a city block where emergency vehicles are stopped with their lights flashing to prevent interference with the work being done.

Move Over Law

Between 1999 and 2009, more than one emergency worker per month was killed while aiding a motorist by the side of the road. As a result, 47 states have enacted some form of a "Move Over Law” . These laws require motorists who are approaching an emergency vehicle on the side of the road with its emergency lights flashing to move over into the opposite lane. If you are unable to move over you should slow down, in some cases to 20 mph below the posted speed limit. Studies show that most drivers are unaware of these laws but police agencies are enforcing them by issuing tickets to anyone who does not move over or slow down.

Treat any vehicle with flashing red, blue, or amber lights as an emergency vehicle and give them room to do their job.

Addtional articles on Emergency Vehicle Safety:
The Effect of Traffic Collisions On Emergency Personnel

Labels: emergency vehicle, move over america, move over law

Many Florida motorists will sporadically notice "Move Over Act" advertisement on a toll booth sign, on a static roadside sign, on a sizeable billboard, on a “Rest Area” sign, on a gas bump sticker, or on a bus stop bench, just to name a few. But how many take the time and follow-up and go over the “Move Over”? And an estimated 71 percent of Americans have not heard of Move Over laws. Unfortunately, numerous drivers still do not act on the Move Over Act causing severe motor vehicle crashes with emergency vehicles parked along the roadway. This legislation act was passed in Florida in 2002 in order to protect our law enforcement officers and emergency responder employees from deaths & injuries caused by distracted and reckless motorists. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, during a five-year period from 1996-2000: 1,793 motorists crashed into law enforcement vehicles that were parked on the side of the road causing 5 deaths and 419 injuries. Emergency vehicles include a patrol car, a fire rescue truck, an ambulance, a tow truck, and a road ranger vehicle. Learn more about the Move Over Act at http://www.moveoveramerica.com/.

Here is a summary of the "Move Over Act", courtesy of the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles:

• If you are driving on a road with multiple lanes going in the same direction, and approach an emergency vehicle parked along the roadway, you must vacate the lane closest to that vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. In other words, carefully change lanes if you are able to do so. And do not forget your turn signals!


• If you are unable to move over safely, or if you are on a road with only one lane in each direction, you must slow down to a speed 20 mph below the speed limit, unless a law-enforcement officer tells you otherwise. If the speed limit is 20 mph, you must slow down to 5 mph. In other words, if you cannot change lanes, please slow down.

If you don’t move over, the penalty is about $149, depending on the county, and three points on your license. But more seriously, you could crash into an emergency vehicle or strike an emergency worker, causing serious injury or death. You could injure or kill another person or yourself. And at the end of the day, or beginning & middle for that matter, the Move Over Act is not a tough act to follow.

Now let’s move on to another traffic safety measure that drivers should follow in parallel of vehicles parked along the roadway. We as motorists can all relate with the grueling sensation of a driver attending to a vehicle malfunction or a flat tire on the shoulder of a road or highway. Times like these can be so frustrating that you might need a “shoulder” to cry on; especially under that scorching Florida sun. Therefore, if you are driving on a lane next to a parked vehicle on the side of the road or highway, please also follow similar instructions as in the “Move Over Act”; move over by changing lanes if possible or slow down. Too many motorists attending to vehicle malfunctions are killed by speeding vehicles crashing into them and killing them on the spot. So let’s please invoke Driver Empathy; that could be you changing that flat tire as vehicles are zooming at high speeds just a few feet away from you.

So please move over or slow down- and help protect those who help protect us and also those who drive with us.

Labels: emergency vehicle, florida driving laws, move over america, move over law

On August 24, 2009, the Florida Highway Patrol announced an initiative to target drivers who fail to Move-Over when passing emergency vehicles. The FHP initiative will run through the Labor Day weekend. Other states are conducting similar initiatives.

Florida's Move-Over Law requires motorists who encounter an emergency vehicle with its emergency lights flashing, to Move-Over into the opposite lane or, if they are unable to move into the opposite lane, to slow down to 20 mph below the posted speed limit. Forty six states have passed similar laws to protect emergency workers who are working alongside the road.

Nationwide, between 1999 and 2008, 154 law enforcement officers were killed while conducting traffic stops or aiding motorists; that is more than one per month. According to the FBI, traffic crashes kill more law enforcement officers than any other cause of death in the line of duty, including shootings. Many state laws not only include fire and police emergency personnel but tow truck operators as well. According to the Towing and Recovery Association of America, tow truck operators are killed at a rate of more than 2 per month while conducting recovery operations on the side of the road.

While not every state law includes construction workers, drivers should also get into the Move-Over habit when approaching construction vehicles that have their amber lights flashing. Construction workers are killed alongside America's roads at a rate of 2.3 per day.

Although Florida's law went into effect in 2002, very few motorists are aware of it. The National Safety Commission, the organization responsible for the nationwide "Move-Over America" campaign conducted a poll that found that more than 70 percent of Americans are unaware of the Move-Over requirement. Even though most were unaware of the law, the poll showed that 90 percent believe that traffic stops are dangerous for emergency personnel and 86 percent support passing Move-Over laws in all 50 states.

Colonel Chris A. Knight, Executive Director of the National Safety Commission and the former Director of the Florida Highway Patrol said "While it is difficult to know how many law enforcement officers have been saved by Move-Over laws, it's safe to say that the legislatures in the 46 states that have passed the law have contributed to the safety of law enforcement officers doing their job."

To see if your state has a Move-Over Law and to learn details of the law, visit http://www.moveoveramerica.com/ and click on your state on the map. If your state does not have a Move-Over law, the web site also provides an opportunity for you to sign a petition to let your state representatives know that you want one.

Labels: move over law, police safety

When tragedy strikes on the road, we expect emergency personnel to be on the spot within minutes and we depend on them to provide professional care and a calming influence to help us through the trauma. However, we often fail to think of the effect the trauma may have on them. Emergency personnel, including police, firefighters, EMTs, and tow truck operators face dangers outside what would normally be the obvious hazards of the job. Witnessing and providing emergency services at a traffic collision takes a toll on them in more ways than one. With each horrific crash, there are emotional tolls that lead to physical problems and with each crash, no matter how minor, there is a very real danger of serious injury or death.

The stresses of the job wear away at first responders little by little. A small amount of stress is common in our lives and can even, in certain instances, be beneficial. But when an individual is subjected to the types of stresses that first responders normally see, the stress can build up, leading to mental and physical problems for the first responder. Part of the stress is due to the fight-or-flight response. This natural response to any type of stress is a coping mechanism that physically prepares the body to meet an emergency. Blood flows to the large muscles and the body produces adrenaline to provide extra strength and endurance. As an infrequent occurrence, the fight-or-flight response can save our lives, but it can start to wear down our bodies when it happens on a regular basis.

To understand the full impact of the emotional toll on first responders, we first have to define the word accident in relation to car crashes. Accidents are occurrences beyond anyone's control. On the highway, there is very rarely such thing as an accident. Instead, there are only poor driving decisions on the part of one or more drivers that lead to a crash. The real tragedy of most traffic crashes is that they were so easily preventable.

When emergency personnel arrive at the scene of a traffic crash, they are often witnesses to horrific scenes that most of us will never see in a lifetime. Unfortunately for the emergency personnel, they witness these types of scenes on a regular basis. This begins to take an emotional toll on them, especially first responders who are parents, when they have to deal with children who have been orphaned, injured, or have died due to a senseless driver error.

Combined, the stress and emotional trauma can lead to chronic or long term stress. Over time, chronic stress can result in cognitive problems such as inability to focus, short attention span, memory problems, and difficulty in making decisions. Emotionally, it can lead to mood swings, irritability, depression, and anxiety. Chronic stress can also cause behavioral issues such as impulsiveness, pacing, insomnia, and non-productivity. If untreated, the chronic stress can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Finally, one of the biggest dangers that emergency personnel face is being struck by another driver while tending to the victims of a crash. This can happen when a driver who is speeding unexpectedly comes upon the scene of a crash and can't stop in time or by "rubberneckers" who are so focused on looking at the crash that they don't watch the road ahead. National Traffic Incident Management Coalition (NTIMC) studies show that, on average, at least two emergency responders are struck each day in the United States. Between 1995 and 2006 an average of one law enforcement officer was struck and killed each month by a passing vehicle. In the first three months of 2006, five tow truck operators were killed while working at the scene of a collision.


The incredible toll that these secondary crashes take on emergency personnel has led 40 states to pass "Move Over Laws." For example, Florida's Move Over Law requires motorists to move over into the opposite lane or, if they can’t move over, to slow down to 20 mph under the posted speed limit when passing any emergency vehicle with its emergency lights flashing. There is now a national campaign to encourage the remaining states to pass their own Move Over legislation and to increase awareness among motorists in states where they have been passed. A recent poll showed that while 90% of drivers believe the Move Over Laws are a good idea, only 39% of drivers are aware of their existence. You don't have to wait for your state to pass a Move Over Law to adopt this habit when you come upon an emergency vehicle.

Labels: emergency vehicle, move over law