Highway Patrol Cracking Down On Move Over Law Violators

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is joining state agencies in five other states in cracking down on Move Over law violators.

The patrol says, over the last five years, its troopers were involved in nearly 50 crashes that appeared to be related to drivers not obeying the Move Over law.

One person was killed in those crashes and 49 officers and civilians were injured.

Details on the initiative are in the following news release.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol and other members of the 6-State Trooper Project are collaborating to focus on education and enforcement of the Move Over law. This initiative will begin on Sunday, July 19 at 12:01 a.m. and end on Saturday, July 25 at 11:59 p.m. The high-visibility enforcement will include the Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, West Virginia State Police, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

From 2015-2019, troopers were involved in 49 crashes that appeared to be related to the Move Over law. As a result of these crashes, one civilian was killed and 49 officers and civilians were injured. During that same time period, the Patrol has recorded 23,429 Move Over violation citations.

“When drivers move over, they can help protect the lives of everyone who works on or uses Ohios roadways,” said Colonel Richard S. Fambro, Patrol superintendent.

“When you see flashing lights, move over and slow down. Its the law and the right thing to do.”

Ohio law requires all drivers to move over to an adjacent lane when approaching any vehicle with flashing or rotating lights parked on the roadside. If moving over is not possible due to traffic or weather conditions, or because a second lane does not exist, motorists should slow down and proceed with caution. The Move Over law now exists in all 50 states.

The 6-State Trooper Project is a multi-state law enforcement partnership aimed at providing combined and coordinated law enforcement and security services in the areas of highway safety, criminal patrol and intelligence sharing.

A statistical map detailing Move Over violations can be found here.