Law enforcement officials, county maintenance workers, tow truck drivers and other emergency responders are sending a life-saving reminder to motorists: Please watch the road ahead carefully and be ready to move over, or at least slow down, when approaching stopped emergency and roadside service vehicles that have their warning lights flashing.
“Any time we stop along a highway to assist at a crash scene or speak with a motorist, one of our major concerns is the potential to be struck by a passing vehicle,” said Trooper James Kicmol, a 29-year Wisconsin State Patrol veteran, in a news release. “The Move Over Law helps protect motorists and emergency responders who often must work just feet away from traffic.”
Wisconsin’s Move Over Law requires drivers to move out of the lane closest to vehicles that are stopped along a highway with their warning lights activated. If a driver is unable to move over, then they must slow down. The law applies to law enforcement vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, tow trucks, utility or highway maintenance vehicles.
Violations can result in a citation ($263) – or worse – a deadly crash. Since 2017, there have been 2,034 traffic convictions in Wisconsin for violating the Move Over Law, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
The DOT and its Division of State Patrol have compiled several dash/traffic camera videos and photos from crashes that highlight the dangers faced by emergency responders. Dates and locations of the crashes include:
- June 24, 2019, I-94 in Dane County
- Dec. 2, 2018, I-94 in Kenosha County
- Sept. 4, 2018, I-41 in Outagamie County
- July 19, 2013, I-43 in Sheboygan County
To access the videos/photos:
- Go to ftp://ftp.dot.wi.gov/dbm/bs/ccs/MoveOverSupportingMedia/
- Place the mouse cursor over the file/link
- Right click and select the option to “Save target as” (or similar verbiage)
- Select an appropriate location on your computer/network to download the video file
