Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire NEW TRAFFIC LAW - 2010

If a patrol car is pulled over to the side of the road, you have to change to the next lane (away from the stopped vehicle) or slow down to at least 20 mph under the posted speed limit.

Every state except Hawaii and Maryland and the D.C. has this law.

In California, the Move-over law became operative on January 1, 2010.

"A friend's son got a ticket for this recently.

A police car (turned out it was two police cars) was on the side of the road giving a ticket to someone else.

He slowed down to pass but did not move into the other lane.

The second police car immediately pulled him over and gave him a ticket.

He had never heard of the law.

It is a fairly new law that states if any emergency vehicle is on the side of the road, if you are able, you are to move into the far lane.

The cost of the ticket was $754, with three points on your license and a mandatory court appearance.

Please let everyone you know that drives about this new law.

It is true (see details at the following web address." www.moveoveramerica.com

Regulating common sense and courtesy.

Moving over, whether it's an emergency vehicle, a semi, or a disabled motorist (if you're not going to stop to help), is just common courtesy.

Yeah, but they don't need more than half a lane.

Having had big rigs "breeze" me more than a few times, it would bitchslap such fools where it hurts, hopefully BEFORE they murder someone.

I frequently see police cars on traffic stops with their vehicles sitting out about 3-4 feet in the lane of traffic when there is plenty of room to have pulled completely off of the road. What sense does that make? Maybe it's just the LEOs in my area, but if you ask me they're needlessly creating a hazard. Almost all of the POVs seen are pulled completely off of the roadway.

Always did it before it was law for that very reason ET, been on the receiving end way too many times. Lost count of the hats I had destroyed from it. I think the fine should be at least $1,000.00

Texas law says you have to move over or slow down if you can't move IF the vehicle has its emergency light working.

Having lost two friends who were State Troopers that were run over by divers who did not move over before the law was passed I think it is a GOOD law.

BCR

I suppose in NY the cops never park where a driver can't see them until the driver is right on top of them when trying to catch speeders. Around here a few idiots park concealed in the inner escape lane on the interstate, then bitch when they almost get hit.

I'm all for protecting the officers, but they need to use some judgment as well.

griz, it states that when a stop is in progress!! Like when the Officer(s) are at the driver's side door! Not when they are in the median or anything like that.

I think that's a pretty accurate description of what the law says here too.

It just makes sense to give plenty of room to anybody who is pulled to the side of a road. I've changed enough tires and helped out enough people along the roadside to know that it can be a pretty spooky place to conduct business.

Too much of this going on is what caused the regulation. I do not agree with the rule but I understand the reason.

The first one is NOT for the faint of heart.





RH

It is a survival tool GH. If the cruiser is parked straight behind the stopped car, officers get killed at an alarming rate by people who stay too far to the right. Offsetting the cruiser forces at least a couple of feet of marginal safety. It also is a way of interposing the engine and more coachwork between the officer and the subject in the even that he starts shooting. Mucho better cover than a clipboard.

I knew somweone would correct me so I didn't have to do the research. Thanks.
Still some "officers" are so eager to give tickets that they do park in dangerous places. A few years ago a motorcycle cop was killed doing what I described and he had been warned a number of times. Didn't help his family that he didn't listen, but in fairness, he was kind of a jerk.

My father is law was a state trooper for 33 years...As Sean said it is common courtesy and too many people in society don't have an ounce of courtesy for our police officers.. still living with the HIPPIE mentality of calling them "Pigs"....

on the other end, I think it is ridiculous on the prices that are assessed on tickets in today's world, and on this "POINT" system used by many states...

as a resident in MN for many years, I almost had my license pulled due to "POINTS" for speeding, courtesy of Wisconsin..

I was employed as a medical sales rep, covering 7 states, so I put on 60,000 miles a year on a car..however, my 'speeding tickets' were all issued on I 94, in the middle of nowhere...
2 were for doing 57 mph in a 55 zone, and the other was doing 56 in a 55 zone..( back in the days of 55 mph speed limits)... all were received at night time when there was even less traffic on the road..

I took the time to go to court over them, and the judge still let the state cop prevail...

the pricing on the tickets were not that high in those days.. but the 'point' system almost got my licenses pulled... jacked up my insurance rates....

it wasn't about public safety, it was about revenue generation..

I finally asked the last judge, what sets off radar units in Wisconsin License plates that are from states that start with an M or an I? ( Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, IOWA) he didnt' like the question too much....

on the other end, My father in law was the epitome of integrity as a MN state trooper...and there are a lot of fine officers out there, so I don't want this as a reflection of negativity to LEOs...I support you guys 1000%....but some of these enforcement laws, and fines coming from judges and politicians.. who are always immune to the same laws themselves.. really tink me off..

That first one.. is amazing the officer got up and started running to the side of the road...it looked like he was killed instantly..

how friggin blind and stupid do people have to be to NOT see a cop car with an officer on the side the road????

I am against the big fines, but on the other hand, I think it is appropriate that the person who hits a troopers vehicle has to pay out of pocket for any and all damages.. not the insurance company.. they do..

and they kill a trooper, then it is life in jail, just as if they killed someone with a gun etc..

the state instead ought to sue the party guilty in court for damages...

+1

I guess I'd be pretty ticked for getting nabbed for doing a couple mph over the limit. I've got a BIL who is some form of high muckety-muck as a civilian with the Michigan State Police. He's told us that the MSP troopers are directed to not stop drivers for anything less than 9mph over the posted limit.

Now, I don't know if that holds true, and even if it does, I'm sure there'd be exceptions for aggressive or erratic driving while doing less than 9 over. The 'fires own Brinky72 is with the MSP I believe, and would probably know much more about this.

OK, I know, I got off topic here.

Been moving to the left when encountering any vehicle on the shoulder when possible for years and have been doing the same at any entrance ramp to a interstate, it's only a common courtesy.

The ones I hate are the ones that race you to enter the highway and not obey the yield signs and once they get ahead of you take the next exit. I think we've all been guilty of that at one time or another.

Down here if it is just speed it is 10 over, if mitigating factors like aggressive/careless driving, texting, lots of lane changes Etc, you will get stopped for even doing the limit.

When this law went into effect in missouri the very first person I stopped for it was a drunk driver. It makes me wonder how many times a drunk driver has buzzed by while I was standing there a foot or two away.

I don't stop any speeder unless your at least 15 MPH over and then alot times I don't write a ticket. I work with guys that are 10 mph over the limit and your getting a ticket no matter why you were speeding. I am glad they like that part of police work because I do not. I would much rather deal with drunk drivers and they can write the speeding tickets. Lets face it though if they were not out there wrighting tickets everyone would be doing 25 mph over the speed limit.

Dink