Canada: Drivers rack up move over fines during summer long weekends in Muskoka
After over a decade since the Move Over law came into effect, many drivers are still ignorant to its existence and what it could cost them. Last weekend marked the final long weekend of the summer season and the unofficial end to summer as kids return to school Tuesday, Sept. 6. Huntsville OPP officers laid a total of two fail to move over tickets, while Bracebridge OPP had zero move over tickets but had nine drivers and numerous speeding, liquor and marine offences.
“I’ve been with the OPP for 29 years now and in that time I would say there has been probably a dozen times where cars were extremely close,” said Huntsville OPP Sgt. Dave Strickler. “Wintertime is probably the worst. I’ve watched cars spinning out of control coming towards me and locking up the breaks.” Sgt. Strickler said that it is unnerving when vehicles such as tractor-trailers pass by on the highway while he has a driver stopped, as the gust of wind that is created is almost enough to suck one in towards the highway. However, he said it is just something that an officer gets used to.
“It’s unnerving – your focus is on your safety and it’s split between the occupants of the car and the people coming down the highway,” said Sgt. Strickler. “If I had to react to something dangerous within the car, my first reaction is to retreat and angle away, which is instantly putting me out into the traffic.”
Sgt. Strickler said that when drivers don’t pull off the road far enough he will utilize the passenger side of a vehicle if the shoulder permits enough space to do so. “When I get their information and go back to the cruiser I will ask them to move over farther,” said Sgt. Strickler. “Then when I re-approach there is more space and I can go to the driver’s side.”
The province passed the Move Over law in 2003 after the death of the first female officer, Sgt. Margaret Eve, when she was struck by a transport while conducting a traffic stop on Highway 401. The law states that when passing an emergency vehicle or tow truck, drivers must slow down and pass with caution. If the highway has more than one lane, drivers must move over and leave a lane of space between them and the emergency vehicle, if it is safe to do so.
Related Links
Links provided with these articles were active and accurate as of the posting of the article to ResponderSafety.com. However, web sites change and the organization hosting the page at the link may have moved or removed it since this article was posted. Therefore, some links may no longer be active.