On Jan. 19, an expanded “Move Over” law went into effect. The law, which was signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in July, requires drivers to make way for the flashing blue or green lights that are operated by volunteer firefighters or ambulance workers involved in a roadside emergency.
“Every day, these firefighters and ambulance workers put their well-being on the line to help their neighbors and their communities,” Cuomo said. “This new law and outreach campaign will offer these brave New Yorkers additional protections that will help ensure they are able to carry out their critically important jobs, while cracking down on avoidable and reckless hazards."
The state put its first Move Over law in place in 2011. At that time, it required drivers to give safe clearance to stopped police, emergency or hazard vehicles with flashing red and white or amber lights. It was later amended to include tow truck and service vehicle operators.
The newest iteration has been accompanied by a broad public safety push meant to protect emergency personnel and others on the highway.
This fall the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee released a Public Service Announcement to promote the “Move Over” law. State troopers and others working the New York State Thruway handed out more than 10,000 educational flyers and engaged in conversations with thousands of motorists at service areas along the Thruway.
The broadening of the law came in response to specific events. “We had two fatalities in November 2016, two crashes that took the lives of a tow truck driver and a Thruway Authority employee. That really drew people’s attention to it,” said Chuck DeWeese, assistant commissioner of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.
First responders in New York say the new law fills in some important gaps that existed in the state’s rulebook for motorists.
“While the spirit of the law is to protect all roadside emergency workers, it became clear that the letter of the law failed to outline a number of important emergency responders who are likely to be on scene and assisting,” said Paul Grattan, a sergeant with the New York Police Department’s Transit Bureau.
By expanding the law to cover a broader range of responders, “the governor ensures he is publicly backing our state's volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders,” Grattan said.
Proponents of the law say it will be a boon to those in uniform. “We need to do whatever we can to protect our first responders,” said New York’s Department of Transportation Commissioner Matthew Driscoll in a news release. “I am grateful to the first responders who work to protect us every day.”
The state says officers have issued some 79,000 tickets for violations under the Move Over law. As part of a public awareness campaign, State Police issued 230 tickets during a five-day enforcement period in November — four times the norm for a typical one-week span.
The new update to the law may bring with it a new wave of citations. “The State Police will continue to aggressively enforce the provisions of the Move Over law,” State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II said in a press statement. “All those who work on our highways, from first responders to maintenance workers, put themselves in danger each day to assist the public. We urge motorists to use extreme caution when you see activity on the side of the highway, slow down, and move over.”
More than just a reason to write tickets, the new law should serve to spark heightened public awareness of the perils faced by emergency workers. “When you change the law, it gives you an opportunity to raise it in the media and to make people aware of the problem. Now the discussion starts to happen and the message gets out there,” DeWeese said.
Still, it could take some time for the change to have an impact. “You are talking about changing people’s behavior. It took 30 or 40 years to get people to buckle up,” DeWeese said.
