OHIO STATE HIGHWAY PATROL REMINDS PEOPLE TO MOVE OVER
As summer travel picks up, and the number of vehicles on Ohio roads increases, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is out with a reminder of the state law requiring motorists to move over or slow down to give safe clearance to law enforcement officers and public safety workers on roadsides. Ohio is one of 40 states with "Move Over" laws.
Ohio’s law is section 4511.213 of the Ohio Revised Code, and it states a motor vehicle driver who is traveling on a highway that consists of at least two lanes that carry traffic in the same direction of travel as that of the driver's motor vehicle, must proceed with due caution and, if possible and with due regard to the road, weather, and traffic conditions, change lanes into a lane that is not adjacent to that of the stationary public safety vehicle. Furthermore, in the event a driver is not traveling on the type of highway described above, or if the driver is traveling on a highway of that type but it is not possible to change lanes or if to do so would be unsafe, the driver must proceed with due caution, reduce their speed, and maintain a safe speed for the road, weather, and traffic conditions.
In Ohio from 2001 to 2005, 82 Highway Patrol vehicles were struck during traffic stops, including two fatal and 43 injury crashes. More than 150 U.S. law enforcement officers have been killed since 1997 after being struck by vehicles along America's highways while performing roadside duties such as investigating crashes, enforcing traffic laws, and assisting motorists. Since the Ohio “Move Over” law was passed in September 1999, state troopers have issued over 11,650 citations to motorists who violated this law and jeopardized the safety of emergency workers.
“When Ohio’s law enforcement officers or other first responders are pulled over with a motorist, they put their lives at risk. The last thing they need to be worried about is being struck by a bad driver, but that's one of the gravest dangers they face today. We want the motoring public to know they are required by law to move over or slow down to keep our state troopers, police officers, sheriff's deputies, and emergency response personnel safe,” Colonel Richard H. Collins, Patrol superintendent said..
There are large roadway signs erected statewide on all major highways that describe the state law requiring motorists to move over or slow down for stopped law enforcement and public safety vehicles. The Ohio State Highway Patrol has produced a video and public service announcements on this topic that can be viewed on-line at
The Patrol supports the, "Move Over, America" campaign launched earlier this month which is the first nationally coordinated effort to educate Americans about "Move Over" laws and how they help protect the law enforcement officers who risk their lives protecting the public. For more information on the "Move Over, America" effort, including a television public service announcement, and an interactive map listing the laws in all 50 states, visit
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