In the state of Ohio it is a law for drivers to move a lane over when passing a roadside vehicle or a safety vehicle. This includes service trucks, broke down vehicles, construction vehicles, and emergency vehicles like ambulance or police cruisers.
This law has been in effect since 2004 and expanded in 2013. It is meant to provide safety for roadside vehicles and pedestrians and limit the number of roadside car accidents.
On July 29, 2016 a Chardon Post sergeant in Geauga County was doing a traffic stop when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle.
As the sergeant approached the pulled over vehicle, an oncoming driver struck his body causing him to flip over the front hood.
It is danger incidents such as this that call for a serious assessment on how to enforce laws like the Move Over Law.
If you’ve seen the chilling video of the trooper being struck by the oncoming vehicle, you know how important it is for our drivers to start paying attention and obeying these laws!
The Ohio State Highway Patrol released a statement on this incident and ORC 4511.213—approaching safety vehicles displaying emergency light.
Cars must move into the next lane if possible and proceed with caution when approaching safety vehicles displaying their emergency lights. When drivers ignore this law, do not move over, and do not slow down, serious accidents can happen and potentially result in death!
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, officer fatalities in the state of Ohio are currently at 3 deaths for 2016 due to traffic-related incidents.
There have been 24 traffic-related deaths nationwide in the past 6 months.
As a personal injury lawyer and a seasoned driver, I urge drivers to follow this law so we can keep our safety workers and roadside pedestrians safe. If you or a family member has been injured due to a roadside accident, call me immediately.
As your Ohio catastrophic injury attorney, I will 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 1 (800) 556-4769.