Drivers ignore "Slow Down, Move Over" laws, raising risks on the road

All 50 states successful the U.S. person "Slow Down, Move Over" laws to assistance support crews moving connected the broadside of the roadworthy oregon archetypal responders handling an exigency — yet galore drivers are not obeying them.

The laws necessitate drivers to determination implicit 1 lane or, if that's not possible, to dilatory down to a harmless velocity erstwhile passing a conveyance with flashing lights stopped connected the broadside of the road.

Despite that, 46 exigency responders were deed and killed connected the broadside of the roadworthy successful 2024, according to the Emergency Responders Safety Institute, and truthful acold successful 2025, astatine slightest 31 person been killed.

"I deliberation it's a cardinal portion for information for each instrumentality enforcement crossed this country. The crushed it's a instrumentality is due to the fact that we were already having a problem," said Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz. "In today's time and property wherever a batch of radical are occupied with their telephone successful their car … that is besides different distractor that has accrued these kinds of incidents."

AAA studied video of drivers passing roadside incidents. The researchers found 36% of drivers — astir 4 successful each 10 passing a country — failed to dilatory down oregon determination over. 

Compliance was worse erstwhile drivers passed a tow truck, with lone 58% successful the surveillance video complying with the law, the survey found.

"People's lives are virtually connected the enactment and they're astatine risk," said AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz.

AAA researchers urge states expanding nationalist consciousness of "move over" laws. Another contented identified successful the probe was anemic enforcement, with drivers perceiving small hazard of being ticketed. 

"What we're uncovering is that a batch of radical person heard of this, recognize it, but aren't truly pursuing done with it — and velocity is specified a large portion of this," Diaz said.

The punishment for breaking the laws varies widely, from conscionable $30 successful Florida to $2,500 successful Virginia.