Many Ohioans Unaware Of Extent Of State’s Move Over Law

Move over. Slow down. Pay attention.

That’s the message state officials work to convey yearlong, and especially on National Move Over Awareness Day on Monday.

The Ohio Department of Transportation, The Ohio State Highway Patrol and other agencies are reminding drivers of the state’s Move Over Law, which requires drivers to move over for all roadside workers and vehicles with flashing lights.

If you can’t move over, you need to slow down.

Last year on Ohios roads, drivers failing to move over struck road construction equipment more than 600 times, tow trucks 341 times, snowplows more than 200 times and law enforcement vehicles more than 1,000 times,

Ohio Department of Transportation spokesperson Matt Bruning is pleading with drivers to start paying better attention.

There have been 3,541 work zone related crashes this year in Ohio, resulting in 17 fatalities and 951 injuries.

There have also been more than 500 crashes involving law enforcement, construction and utility workers, and tow truck drivers being struck while working along the roadside.

In 2019, the Ohio State Highway Patrol issued 7,829 citations for those failing to move over or slow down.

A survey of Ohio drivers conducted by Brittany Shoots-Reinhard, research assistant professor at The Ohio State University Department of Psychology, found gaps in Ohioans knowledge of the states Move Over law, especially when it comes to construction crews or tow trucks.

More than 90 percent of survey participants responded that they know that the Move Over law applies to law enforcement and emergency vehicles, compared to 70 percent for construction vehicles, 62 percent for tow trucks and 50 percent for disabled vehicles with flashing lights.

Learn more about that survey and about the Move Over Law by clicking here.