That’s the findings of a report from the AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety.
Washington DC (KM) Every state and the District of Columbia have Slow Down, Mover Over laws which require drivers to reduce their speed, and, if possible, move into the next lane if they come up a disabled a motorist along the highway being assisted by a police officer, fire and rescue crews or a tow truck driver. But the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says not everyone does it. “Overall, only 64 percent of drivers move over when they see these emergency responders at our roadside. And in fact, 36 percent, are not slowing down or moving over,” says Ragina Ali, Manager of Government and Public Affairs for AAA in Maryland.
She says most drivers have heard of Slow Down, Move Over laws, but were not aware if their state had such a law, or what they were required to do. “And the reality is every state in this county, as well as the District of Columbia, does have some form of the Slow Down, Move Over law on the books. But what we’re seeing is that many drivers still do not fully understand what those laws require,” ;says Ali.
The laws say a driver must slow down and move over, if it’s safe, when they see a disabled motorist alongside the highway being assisted by police, EMT’s or tow truck drivers. But Ali says there could be some confusion over how slow they should travel. “What does slow down mean? That’s obviously somewhat suggestive So at AAA were looking how states could clarify and align that language,” she says.
States like Maryland and Virginia have broadened the law to include more than just police officers, and fire and rescue personnel. “Not only does it include first responders and emergency responders to include not only our police and EMT, but also tow truck drivers,” says Ali. “The laws in Maryland and Virginia have also recently expanded to even include drivers at the roadside displaying their hazard lights or emergency signals.”
Failure to stop can lead to tragic consequences. “Last year alone across the country, 46 emergency responders never made it home,” says Ali. “So they could have been police officers, fire fighters, EMT’s, tow truck operators. And on average, 50 emergency responders are killed every year on US roadways.”
AAA says states need to raise awareness of the importance of slowing down and moving over when encountering disabled motorists on the road. “We have seen these tragedies when folks lose loved ones: police families, tow truck families in this area as well. . So we want to not only raise public awareness, but we want to continue to humanize how serious this is, and what the impact is of driver’s not complying with these laws,” Ali says
And there need to be more of a police presence on the highways. “Unfortunately, we know that police can’t be everywhere at once. But we would like to see some consistency in the visibility with enforcement only because many of the drivers perceive very little risk of bring ticketed if they violate these laws, if they in fact even know what the laws entail,” says Ali.
By Kevin McManus