Bob Stewart of Vestavia Hills has what might be considered a dubious honor, and he also has a word to the wise. Stewart thinks he may have been the first person ticketed and acquitted of the state's new "move over" law. The law went into effect July 1. Stewart was ticketed in a north Alabama town just 18 days after the law went into effect. He reduced his speed to 35 mph in the 50-mph zone, but the law requires motorists to change into a lane not adjacent to a stopped emergency vehicle with lights flashing. If changing lanes is impossible, motorists should slow down. Stewart had a lane to move into.
Stewart had his day in court where neither the municipal judge nor the prosecutor had heard of the law. The officer was absent, and the ticket was dismissed. Alabama Department of Transportation officials say signs warning motorists of the new law should be up within a few weeks.