According to Ohio law, when a motorist sees a police officer pulled over at the side of the road, they must move over or slow down. This is particularly important on highways, where vehicles travel at a high rate of speed. Officers can be in peril when they have to get out of their patrol cars. On standard roads, most motorists have little choice but to move over, because the patrol car and whomever they’ve stopped take up a traffic lane.
Ohio Is One of Five States Who is Cracking Down
Although plenty of states in the U.S. have move over or slow down laws on the books, only five states are participating in a crackdown on this law. Ohio is one of them. The campaign is to bring awareness to these laws, as many drivers tend to ignore them. For one week in July, law enforcement kept an eye on the roads. Any motorists who didn’t follow the law were pulled over and issued citations. In many cases, these tickets led to a fine and a very important lesson.
When to Move Over and Slow Down
People tend to follow this law when they see a police car on the side of the road with its lights flashing. The official “move over and slow down” law in Ohio states that motorists need to do this for any emergency vehicle that has its lights flashing on the side of the road, as well as for any personal vehicle that has its emergency flashers on. It’s all about slowing down to keep everyone safe. It’s dangerous out there on the side of the road.
More Than 50 Officers Have Died
Over the past few years, at least 50 police officers have died after being struck by motorists who didn’t bother to move over or slow down. These drivers failed to pay attention to their surroundings, and it resulted in the pointless deaths of those who have sworn to protect citizens and uphold the laws. Those officers would still be alive if the move or slow down law had been properly followed.
If you have lost a loved one, or have been injured because someone who didn’t follow this move over law, call me now and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
