Wisconsin: Our View, Move over, it's the law
Last month, firefighters and emergency medical services personnel from Marshall and Waterloo, along with emergency responders from throughout southern Wisconsin, paid their respects to Endeavor-Moundville firefighter Larry Millard, who died on Dec. 1, 2015 while assisting at a traffic accident.
During January, the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is reminding drivers of the “Move Over Law” as part of its Law of the Month series.
According to Wisconsin State Statutes, if an emergency or roadside service vehicle is parked or standing on or within 12 feet of a roadway, the operator of the motor vehicle approaching the emergency or roadside service vehicle shall proceed with regard for all other traffic. The driver shall either move the motor vehicle into a lane that is not the lane nearest the parked or standing emergency vehicle or roadside service vehicle and continue traveling in that lane until safely clear or slow down, maintaining a safe speed for traffic conditions and operate the motor vehicle at a reduced speed until completely past the emergency or roadside service vehicle. This applies only if the roadway has at least two lanes of traffic proceeding in the direction of the approaching motor vehicle and if the approaching vehicle may change lanes safely.
If the roadway has only one lane for traffic proceeding in the direction of the approaching motor vehicle or if the approaching motor vehicle may not change lanes safely, the driver shall slow the motor vehicle, maintaining a safe speed for traffic conditions and operate the motor vehicle at a reduced speed until completely past the emergency or roadside service vehicle.
An emergency or roadside service vehicle is described as an emergency vehicle such as a tow truck with flashing red lamps, highway construction or maintenance vehicles displaying lights, public utility vehicles, or a telecommunications carrier vehicles displaying one or more flashing amber lights.
Violating the law carries a $263.50 fine.
Captain Trace Frost of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office said “We ask that all motorists follow the move over law to make the roads safer for all users.” Remember to move over the next time there is an emergency or roadside service vehicle in approaching traffic. It is the law
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.