Ohio Move Over Law Penalties May Change
The Ohio Move Over Law is simple: if you approach or are approached by an emergency vehicle on a state highway with emergency lights on, you must move over and/or slow down. In instances where it is not safe to move over, such as heavy traffic or poor weather, you must slow down to safely allow the emergency vehicle to pass, or complete your pass to move over.
Recent news headlines detail the tragedy of two officers struck and killed in separate accidents while on duty in construction work areas on the same stretch of Northeast Ohio highway. Many argue the Move Over Law should extend to ALL emergency vehicles, construction crews and anyone in a disabled vehicle on highway road sides.
Risks for crashing into emergency vehicles or someone on the side of the road run the gamut
- Distracted driving
- Impaired driving
- Visual limitations
- Failure to control
- Unsafe speeds
- Unsafe passing
- Weather conditions
New penalties proposed for violators include up to 6 months in jail, and a $1,000 fine – But is that enough? We have to start valuing human life on the roads. The only way to change this is to hold guilty individuals accountable, and change the way we think about and handle careless behavior.
Move Over to Save Lives
Statistics in the US are horrific. Each year, hundreds of people are killed or seriously injured after being struck on the side of the road.
- 1 tow truck driver is killed nationally every six days
- 1 police office is killed per month
- 23 highway workers are killed on average each month
These numbers don’t even take into account pedestrians, or accidents with moving emergency vehicles, as a result of driver negligence!
The rising accident counts, and increased rear end vehicle accidents are no mystery. There are more people driving than ever before, and we are more distracted then we could have ever imagined. Checking a text message or fidgeting with your Pandora channel can cost someone a life!
If you or a loved on was injured as a result of a negligent driver, call me immediately. As your Ohio accident attorney, I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
Author: Tim Misny | For over four decades, personal injury lawyer Tim Misny has represented the injured victim in in birth injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death cases, serving Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Columbus, Dayton and neighboring communities. You can reach Tim by email at misnylaw.com/ask-tim-a-question/ or call at 877.944.4373.