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PHOTOS FROM THE DEKALB COUNTY MOVE OVER LAW NEWS CONFERENCE
Move Over Georgia! It’s the law…It’s a lifesaver…And it’s common sense. But this law can carry a hefty five-hundred-dollar-fine for any careless, distracted, or aggressive motorist who ignores it. It’s called Georgia’s Move-Over Law.
The Georgia Move-Over Law has two simple parts:
- Like the name says, it requires drivers to move-overone lane if possible whenever an emergency vehicle of any kind is working on the side of the road displaying flashing blue, red, yellow or white emergency lights..
And what if traffic is too congested to move-over safely?
- The Move-Over Law says if there’s no room to move over, drivers mustslow down, belowthe posted speed limit and be prepared to stop.
 
Police have been enforcing this lifesaving law here in Georgia since 2003… And now, wherever you drive across the country in 2009, forty-eight states have laws like it. Without nationwide Move-Over Laws, more than 169 law enforcement officers have been struck and killed by vehicles along America’s highways since 1997. These tragic twelve years demonstrate that each time an officer makes a traffic stop, it’s one of the gravest dangers police can face on the road today.
As a result, many Georgia police agencies now routinely designate traffic enforcement units to work in pairs during daily patrols. While one officer is working traffic enforcement, a second officer cites drivers who fail to move-over or slow down. This pro-active method of Move-OverLaw enforcement is resulting in more citations and more news coverage about Georgia’s lifesaving statute throughout the state.
 
 
The Move-Over Law was passed here after Georgia road crews, traffic enforcement officers, and other first responders endured needless years of roadside deaths and injuries due to careless errors made by distracted drivers as they sped by police making traffic stops and emergency crews working roadside jobsites.
“It’s one of the greatest perils of wearing a uniform,” said Director Bob Dallas of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). “O ur officers observe careless driving nearly every time they make a traffic stop or motorist assist. Anyone who works our roadways is at risk, but our traffic enforcement details are in constant danger.”
 
The 2008 National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) Fallen Heroes Report shows 2008 was the twelfth consecutive year in which crashes and traffic-related incidents either equaled or exceeded gunfire as the leading cause of police officer deaths. Nationwide incident reports show emergency vehicles of all types have been struck while working beside a highway even while their red, yellow, blue or white emergency lights were flashing.
“Failure to move-overhas killer consequences,” said GOHS Director Bob Dallas. “That’s exactly why we have the Move Over Law here in Georgia. And it isn’t just about saving the lives of police officers, deputies and state troopers,” said Director Dallas.
 
 
“The law also applies to emergency vehicles operated by our firefighters, paramedics, DOT maintenance and construction crews, and tow truck drivers. These dedicated professionals put their lives on the line every day to make sure our roads are safe for our families to travel,” Dallas said.
But the odds still target police on patrol. Eighteen officers died during their daily traffic enforcement duties last year across this country. Agency figures cannot keep up with the countless cops with injuries from passing motorists and near misses never make it into annual reports.
 
“So the Move-Over Law is another good reason to slow down on Georgia’s interstates and rural roads,” said Director Dallas. “When a motorist makes the required clearance for a roadside emergency vehicle the margin of safety increases not only for public safety and emergency personnel, but for passing motorists and their passengers as well. Observing the Move-Over Law is vital because motorists like you and me are often crash victims as well,” said Dallas.
Nationally, a thousand motorists are killed every year in work zone crashes and another 40-thousand passenger vehicle occupants are seriously injured. Startling Georgia DOT stats show three-out-of-four work zone fatalities are actually motorists or their passengers, not highway work crews. Now drivers caught speeding or driving recklessly in a Georgia work zone can expect fines up to $2,000.
 
“Unfortunately, violations of Georgia’s Move-Over Law are still far too common and police still experience too many close calls with too many aggressive drivers ,” said Director Dallas. To reduce the deadly potential for Georgia law enforcement fatalities, legislators here allow local judges to set Move-Over Law violation fines as high as five-hundred-dollars to help modify careless driver behavior. Penalties in other states range as high as a thousand dollars and more states are considering “Move Over” legislation like Georgia’s.
Chances are, police are enforcing the Move-Over Law where you drive and violators are finding out the courts won’t dismiss tickets for drivers just because they haven’t heard about it. Remember, it’s been around for six years now. The Georgia DOT and many municipalities have posted warning signs throughout the State. And a five-hundred-dollar-fine for the first offense is a costly reminder. But as more local police departments deploy these high-visibility enforcement measures, all anyone has to do to avoid the Move Over Law fine is use this common sense precaution behind the wheel: “Slow Down. Change Lanes. Save Lives.”
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