From the Chief: Move Over Law

Posted March 31, 2017

As drivers, we tend to drive in the direction we look. This works fine as long as we are looking out our front windshields, however when we look off to the side of the roadway we may begin to drift in that direction.  Usually we realize we are moving onto the shoulder, perhaps from the feeling of a rumble strip, and are able to safely steer back onto the roadway. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. There have been numerous tragic crashes involving emergency vehicles stopped on the roadside being struck by motorists. The move over law was enacted to prevent such crashes.

T.C.A. 55-8-132 requires motorists to move over into the adjacent lane of traffic, when safe to do so, or alternatively to slow down for emergency vehicles. In 2011, the law was expanded to include utility service equipment to the list of vehicles for which motorists are required to either slow down or move over.

According to a poll on the web site Move OverAmerica.com, 71% of people aren’t aware of the move over law. The National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that 390 workers were killed in struck-by incidents along U.S. highways in 2005 and according to the FBI, officers being struck by motor vehicles is a major cause of law enforcement deaths.

Tennessee became the 30th state to enact the move over law and now all states have laws which require motorists to move over or slow down for stopped emergency or utility vehicles. The law creates a safety zone to protect those who work along our highways. Police, Fire, Emergency and utility service workers may at any time have to work near moving traffic to assist those in need.  Please move over for their safety!

If you have any questions regarding this law or others, please call us at 865-453-5506. For additional information about your police department, visit our web page.