Move Over Law Means You

[sbl_admin]

Dear Editor:

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission has received reports from law
enforcement officers in the field that many drivers are apparently unaware
of actions they must take when passing an emergency vehicle that is stopped
on the side of a road with lights flashing.

Louisiana law requires drivers approaching such a situation on an
interstate or other multi-lane highway to slow down and safely merge into
the lane farthest from where the emergency vehicle is parked. In the case
of a two-lane road, the driver must slow down to 25 miles per hour or to
the posted speed limit, whichever is lowest. In both cases, the driver can
proceed to the posted speed limit as soon as it is safe to do so.

Often referred to as the “Move Over Law,” most states have enacted such
requirements to protect officers and other emergency responders. The
Louisiana law applies to all emergency vehicles on the side of a road with
lights flashing.

Traffic-related incidents kill more law enforcement officers in the
line of duty than any other single cause. A national study found that
nearly half of officers killed in 2004 died as a result of traffic-related
incidents. In Louisiana, the only State Police trooper killed in the line
of duty in the past 10 years died when struck from behind by a vehicle.
Troop A in Baton Rouge has had four Troopers struck in the past two years.
Two have permanent disabilities.


Whether the law enforcement officer you see on the side of the road
is writing a citation or assisting a motorist, his or her job is dangerous
enough without having cars and trucks whizzing by a few feet away at 70
miles per hour. Please remember: Slow down when you approach such a
situation, and safely merge into a lane away from the officer, if there is
another lane going in your direction.


Respectfully,

Col. James E. Champagne
Executive Director
Governor's Highway Safety Representative

[joepole]

I knew that was the law in Texas, but i didn't know it was here.

25MPH? That's ridiculous.

[vixweb]

And thats just the cops- what about the towtruck drivers?! Every week in this country, people in my line of work are KILLED by "looky lous"
Seriously, I am on the side of the road all day and all night- People FLY past me @ 70mph just feet away! One of the first things I learned while training for this job is to keep one hand on the truck @ all times while roadside, that way, if I trip or stumble on a rock or road debris, I can try not to fall into traffic. One little stumble and I would die(and doing this 70-80 hours a week-its gonna happen)- just because someone wouldn't get over or SLOW DOWN!! BELIEVE ME- we need this law, because people are too "self-absorbed" to get over.

[rhertz]

Originally Posted by vixweb

And thats just the cops- what about the towtruck drivers?! Every week in this country, people in my line of work are KILLED by "looky lous"
Seriously, I am on the side of the road all day and all night- People FLY past me @ 70mph just feet away! One of the first things I learned while training for this job is to keep one hand on the truck @ all times while roadside, that way, if I trip or stumble on a rock or road debris, I can try not to fall into traffic. One little stumble and I would die(and doing this 70-80 hours a week-its gonna happen)- just because someone wouldn't get over or SLOW DOWN!! BELIEVE ME- we need this law, because people are too "self-absorbed" to get over.

Please be careful out there Vix!! A drunk driver can do anything. (I watch a lot of TV) Stay on your toes!!

[piemaker720]

People don't care about flashing lights on an emergency vechicle or a tow truck. How many times have you seen a road construction sign that says lane closed ahead merge ?[right or left] and people will stay in the closed lane until they get right up to it then cut in front of a vehicle that done what they were suppose to back down the road where the sign is. Another is the intersection of I-20 and Airline, people come off I-20 and block the intersection until traffic starts moving. We have some maniacs out on the highway these days.

[vixweb]

Pie, you know the only reason people do those things, are so they can be in front of YOU! Instead of merging, thier goal is simply to be further up in line, so they CUT,like Kindergardeners. From the view in my wrecker, I'm a spectator. And I laugh at people all day!

[Isaac-Saxxon]

I like to watch "Cops" and many times they see the flashing lights and get tunnel vision and freak out when it is to late to correct. I think fear of the cops makes some lose control. There are other times when curiosity kills the cop.

[piemaker720]

Originally Posted by vixweb

Pie, you know the only reason people do those things, are so they can be in front of YOU! Instead of merging, thier goal is simply to be further up in line, so they CUT,like Kindergardeners. From the view in my wrecker, I'm a spectator. And I laugh at people all day!

They don't get in front of me, I won't let them. They will have to hit me. If people can't mind the law properly with some intellegence then they ain't getting no slack from me. I believe in merging when I see the sign that tells you to. My kids catch hell if I'm in the car with them and they don't merge right. Especially if you use the same road day in and day out and you know that lane is closed.

[vixweb]

Unfortunately, I can't drive the way I would like to in my 25,000 pound tow-truck. But thats what people dont understand when they pull out in front of me, When I hit em, its gonna hurt! And it will all be under my feet- People risk their lives like that all day. Those trucks dont have "anti-lock" brakes, so when I have to lock em up the truck just slides. I've locked em up a few times, but I'm an excellent driver and I havent hit anyone yet!

[piemaker720]

I understand, my brother-in-law is a 18-wheeler driver and people don't mind pulling out in front of them either.

[Texasbelle]

Originally Posted by piemaker720

I understand, my brother-in-law is a 18-wheeler driver and people don't mind pulling out in front of them either.

Pie, I travel the Interstate every day back and forth to town. The worst offenders out there are the 18-wheelers. At least once a week, I am faced with being nearly run off the road by one. We have lived in East Texas now for ten years and there have been a so many occasions when I have had to take the median or take the shoulder completely in order to avoid a total collision with one. I can not even begin to count the number of wrecks I've seen caused by them. My biggest pet peeve are the ones who like to ride my a$$ on the road. (No jokes please) The most interesting thing is I always see the po po pulling over cars but never a single 18 wheeler!!

[piemaker720]

Originally Posted by Texasbelle

Pie, I travel the Interstate every day back and forth to town. The worst offenders out there are the 18-wheelers. At least once a week, I am faced with being nearly run off the road by one. We have lived in East Texas now for ten years and there have been a so many occasions when I have had to take the median or take the shoulder completely in order to avoid a total collision with one. I can not even begin to count the number of wrecks I've seen caused by them. My biggest pet peeve are the ones who like to ride my a$$ on the road. (No jokes please) The most interesting thing is I always see the po po pulling over cars but never a single 18 wheeler!!

Well Belle I have rode with my brother-in-law and I have seen first hand how drivers in cars cut these trucks off, it's like they think a driver can stop a big rig on a dime, it don't happen. And yes they get pulled over just the same, besides the regular police they have to contine with the DOT weight and scales officers [someone car drivers don't have to deal with]. I have a friend that rode a big rig that was in an accident because a car thought he was as big as the rig. there were 2 drivers in the rig, my friend was threw out the windshield and his partner burned up in the truck. My friend, took him months to learn to walk and still does not do it without a bd limp. He had to live everyday with the memory of his co-driver burning up. If I had troubles and needed someone to back me up I know a trucker would always be there. I am sorry you think so little of them but you will never convince me that they are that bad. I have seen some car drivers that I would refuse to ride with because of their driving habits but I have never seen a trucker that scared me with their driving. My own sister drives a log truck.

[AnimeSpirit]

Originally Posted by Texasbelle

Pie, I travel the Interstate every day back and forth to town. The worst offenders out there are the 18-wheelers. At least once a week, I am faced with being nearly run off the road by one. We have lived in East Texas now for ten years and there have been a so many occasions when I have had to take the median or take the shoulder completely in order to avoid a total collision with one. I can not even begin to count the number of wrecks I've seen caused by them. My biggest pet peeve are the ones who like to ride my a$$ on the road. (No jokes please) The most interesting thing is I always see the po po pulling over cars but never a single 18 wheeler!!

I'm with Pie on this one. I've ridden with truckers before. I have an uncle that's a trucker and, though I never met him, I understand my father was too. Truckers not only have to weigh in at every station, but police are particularly rough on them driving wrecklessly because of the size of their rigs.

What people don't seem to realize is that these trucks also have physical limitations because of their size. For instance, if you're sitting at an intersection on a truck route and a truck turns from your right onto the road you're on, if you don't give them sufficient space, of course they'll come close to hitting you.

On a related note, it is not unheardof for these trucks to need to turn into the oncoming lane in order to make room for a right turn. This is a limitation of the rig and nothing can be done about that. The trucker isn't doing it just to be a jerk. A careful driver will give the rig its proper space and not try to run up on it or cut him off.

[Pocahontas]

Pie I am truly sorry about your friends getting hurt in that accident but they are in the minority. I'll have to agree with Belle that 18 wheelers are out to plow on through and scare us little guys out of the way or else! Your friends might have been the exception.

[piemaker720]

Originally Posted by Pocahontas

Pie I am truly sorry about your friends getting hurt in that accident but they are in the minority. I'll have to agree with Belle that 18 wheelers are out to plow on through and scare us little guys out of the way or else! Your friends might have been the exception.

Well Pokie I have seen a whole lot of truck drivers that would give you the shirt off their back and I have seen a whole lot of car drivers that you look wrong at them and you get the finger or a cussing or they will follow you. No thanks I'll take the truckers evrytime. Alot of the times when your behind a trucker and you think he is driving bad it usually is someone in a car in front of him driving stupid that he is trying to avoid but you don't see him you only see the trucker. I have rode with trucker friends from Florida to California I've seen how cars drive in front of the trucks.