New Law in California called the "Move Over Law"

Ontario recently passed a similar law. I've been that officer stopped on the side of the road and there's no sympathy for the gawkers here. I move over for any vehicle if I can if only to give myself more escape room if they suddenly decide to pull back on the road.

 

I thought maybe this was like the law we have in NY...the 'out my way' law....lol

 

many police officers and construction workers have been killed over the years...I think thats why there's a new law

 

It's now the law in OKlahoma, too...finally. Common sense failed to apply, so it had to be legislated, instead.

What I can't stand is the idiot getting pulled over, and simply stopping IN THE FUCKING traffic lane!!! What's more idiotic is the cop that stops, gets out, and starts writing the ticket - all the while BOTH VEHICLES are blocking a lane of traffic, and creating a greater hazard than the original offense was causing! Again, common sense on both the cop and the source of revenue is completely gone from this particular scenario.

The revenue source needs to find a SAFE spot to either pull over, or drive to a point where there is a parking lot or such safe spot to move over and have your introduction to the Law. Likewise, the COP needs to inform said revenue source to pull off safely, as described above. The allegedly guilty party doesn't have to worry about an eluding ticket this way, and also does not have to worry about seventeen cops chasing him down, using the spike strips, and risking Death for an expired tag or such. Mister Cop hopefully has the common sense to judge whether the revenue source is simply searching for a safe and prudent place to pull over, versus eluding said police officer, and engaging the entire police force to nail said scofflaw for that minor offense.

 

That's some funny shit there...and true!

I want to see them start busting the gap fillers now...Those people who speed up and swerve in and out looking to fill that next gap between cars even if it's just one and a half car gap.

 

We've had that law in Texas for a few years now and I'm glad that we do. We had one city cop and one State Trooper killed while writing tickets on the freeway in the middle of the city.

 

Our nation used to be "Of the people, By the people, for the people." But we seem to have become a nation of Of the person, for the person and Screw the people. No point in giving these types a kick in the nuts. Their brains won't register the pain. A big $ fine or take away their cell phone for a month will hurt more.

 

Yup, it is in the law that way, at least in CA. Every offense that could be committed against anyone has a higher penalty if the victim is a law enforcement officer, even if he or she is not in uniform, or acting in the line of duty.

I see the logic behind the "Move Over" law. There have been quite a few police officers and construction workers killed or injured by inattentive drivers. Mostly hit-and-run, too.

Nobody is going to do it, though. I anticipate getting rear-ended soon, there is not often room to move over.

 

It's a good law, no doubt, but I've already seen one cop that appeared to be playing his own little game with it in the city limits of the small town of Hampton, GA. They are well known for overzealous traffic law enforcement, doubtlessly for the revenue.
The scene:
Early on a Sunday morning approaching the town from the South on US 19/41, a divided 4 lane road. Very light traffic, almost a half mile to car ahead of me and about the same to the rear.
As I approached an intersection, the traffic signal tuned yellow and I began a gradual deceleration towards the intersection and observed a city cop pull out from the right side street and start Northboud ahead of my as I stopped for the red light. To those familiar he was across the highway from the Atlanta Motor Speedway. He proceeded North till he was past all development on his side of the road and then pulled over to the right shoulder and stopped., I should add that at the intersection where I was stopped the road Northward changes to a 6 lane, still divided.
About the time the traffic signal turned green and I pulled away towards him, he turned on his blue light, and remained stopped on the shoulder. I moved over to the cennter of the 3 lanes and proceeded past him within the speed limit.
After I passwed him I kept an eye on him in the rear view mirror, and after the car behind me also moved over before passing him he turned off the blue light and pulled out onto the roadway behind us both. He then turned off at the next road to the right, having been unsuccesful in his attempt to catch someone for not moving over.
Have often wondered how many tickets he writes this way. There was no reason for his blue light since he didn't stop either of us. I'm certain his game was to write a ticket.
Dave

 

I've always slowed down it's common sense, you can see those police lights for a long distance, no reason gradually slowing down on the interstate should cause a wreck, of course you have the moron behind you not watching the road. This law is personal anyway, my wifes niece was killed while fixing the load on her pickup truck, she was off the side of the road in the middle of Doerun. off the road in a 35 zone, with her hazards on, she was behind the truck and hit so hard, it pushed a fully loaded full size chevy 200 feet up the road. The driver was never charged with so much as a speeding ticket. She was cut in half. There was plenty of visibility, and it's an area where traffic is pretty slow.

 

It's sad that there are so many laws that have to cover common sense or common courtesy. Washington has just passed a handful of laws because of the guy who shot the three cops in the donut shop. Too bad that no number of laws are going to force people to "quit actin' a fool".

 

Gosh, remember in high school driving class you were told not to focus on vehicles parked on the side of the road as this creates an unconcious tendency to drive into them.

 

I've always thought that was just common sense and not just for cops but anyone on the side of the road, tow trucks, guys broke down, ect. Its just common courtesy. If you've ever been on the side of the highway with a flat you'd do it too.

 

Didn't know we had an Apple Valley in Alabama. Bill

 

That's a common sence law. Like construction & school zones. Surprising it took California so long to get it. ​

 

thats a law i can agree with problem is around here it seems those laws get overlooked yet their always getting the people going 49 in a 45 kinda pisses me off

 

hahaha!!! love it!

 

No, We're looking at going home at night.....write that down.

Lemme put it in perspective for ya. In the last 25ish years my county has not had an officer killed by violent means (gunfire, stabbing etc)...HOWEVER we lost 6 in 2009 as a result of traffic crashes 3 of those (50%) were as a result of getting plowed into on the side of the road.

Someone else in this thread complained about where the officers stop in relation to the positioning on the roadway....I agree, I see some stupid stuff (Folks stopping in the middle of the road) I instruct em to move their ass to get mine outta the roadway...Like I said, I wanna go home.

Finally, It aint a new law, mearly a modification of the old... and the stipulation of speed if you cannot move over is NOT slow TO 20mph, rather slow down 20MPH under the posted speed limit with the hard number being 25MPH (IE if the limit is 25 then you are required to slow, but not all the way to 5MPH)

Bottom line, Let common sense prevail; cause at the end of the day....

I wanna go home.

 

Salty..this is no jab at you so please dont take it that way.(as you can tell from my previous post on this subject).but these laws specifically targeted toward only police officers and emergency workers kinda anger the general public..as if we're not worthy of the same protection under the same law..I know you dont write this stuff (the laws) but dont you feel these laws should be for EVERYONE..not just L.E.O. and emergency workers?

its like they are saying your life is worth more than ours..and that isnt right.
i have just as much right to "go home to my family" after i change that tire...dont I?

and it seems the average person would have way less experiance on the side of the road , but deserve the same respect

 

years ago i worked a temporary job helping fix bridge expansion joints, people must think your life is not worthy of them slowing down, people are idiots, and you don't realize how many there are until the bright orange cones you are working behind get regularly knocked down .. cones and water barrels both hit on a regular basis. it's not just the regular drivers, I would think the truck drivers might have more respect for people having to work out there, they don't. People blowing by you are 70-80 mph because they are in such a hurry they can't lose those couple of minutes of travel time. I think if you speed through an active construction zone, or by an emergency vehicle you ought to be thrown in jail a couple of days in addition to the fine, I think the main reason it's written for the emergency vehicles, is they regularly spend a lot more time on the side of the road then the average motorist, just doing their job

 

That must have been a looooooong time ago. I've never heard of that before.

 

it's true especially when you are first learning to drive, your brain automatically wants to make your hands turn towards whatever you are focusing on. It's the same reason if you drop something on the floor and reach for it, you will turn in the direction of what you dropped. It's a reflex

 

The same as meeting a car wth the lights on bright. Look to the right untill it goes by. Bill

 

Sadly, the Drunken clowns on the road over the legal limit,tend to drive right towards flashing lights....

 

As a fireman I can also tell you plenty of stories and holy shit moments. Only one I will mention today is a family in a pickup doing 70 MPH rearended a semi in whiteout conditions. I was working on the family in the pickup off the side of the road when I hear an air horn blowing. A truck driver blew by us at probably 55 in whiteout conditions nearly killing an officer and another fireman. The cop jumped in his car and took off after him. The truck driver was arrested on wreckless and endangerment. I almost lost a good friend that day so please pull over a lane for us.

Scot

 

How can you change lanes in a white out safely?

 

Its the law here in Alabama also.I heard about it on the news and was surprised;thought it had always been the law because as so many have said,its just common sense and respect.

 

As being a firemen , and seeing so many wrecks from cell phone use while driving I would like to see them put into effect that the cell phones don't work when the vehicle is in motion ! Cause the laws making it illegal for texting and talking still doesn't help !!! Just pulled a man out of a car last night getting T-BONED was killed by a 17 old who ran a stop sign while texting! Sad He left behind 2 young kids and a wife , all he was doing was coming home from work ! All from a person not using common sense !!!!!!

 

We have it here in Manitoba also. But also includes basicly anything pulled over.... tow trucks, service vehicles etc.

 

Why on earth would you be doing 55 MPH in a fucking white-out? If you're going slow enough you'll be able to change lanes, or slow down even more.

I've always slowed down and tried to move over when I see lights flashing on the side of the road. I don't remember ever learning it was law here, I just figured it was common sense - if for no other reason than if you should hit a cop, they'll find a way to blame you even if he fell out of the sky on top of you.