The Move Over law
March 6, 2008
A Note About Ontario's MOVE OVER Law:
There has been an e-mail circulating recently in which the author complains and 'warns' drivers about a new 'tax grab' that no one knows about. In it, the author suggests that he was recently charged under the 'new' Move Over law and feels that he was "screwed".
Ontario enacted the Move Over law several years ago. The law serves to protect police officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel whose vehicles are stopped on the shoulder of the province's roadways with red lights flashing. Through the media and various outlets, the public was made aware of the when it was enacted, and there is plenty of information on the internet about it.
Motorists have to slow down and, where possible and safe to do so, move to a lane not adjacent to the one in which the emergency vehicle is situated.
Emergency workers routinely risk their lives to provide assistance to drivers. Enforcing the law and providing roadside assistance is inherently dangerous for police, fire and other emergency workers. Emergency personnel stopped for an incident at the side of the road are sometimes in danger. Frequently, they are placed in close proximity to vehicles traveling at extremely high rates of speed.
On June 7, 2000, three officers from the Ontario Provincial Police pulled over a vehicle suspected in a bank robbery. The OPP cruisers were pulled over and staggered properly and safely on the shoulder of the highway. A transport driver ran into the cruisers, the offers, and suspects. The OPP cruisers were so damaged they were unrecognizable as police vehicles. All were rushed to hospital with grievous injuries. Sergeant Margaret Eve died of her injuries.
Unfortunately, incidents like this occur routinely all over North America. In particular, officers are too often injured or killed in the line of duty on highways. Therefore, several states, and Ontario and Saskatchewan enacted the Move Over law to protect officers and other emergency workers. They risk their lives daily and deserve all the protection we can give them.
THE LAW:
- Requires drivers to slow down, and proceed with caution
when
traveling on all highways
in the same direction as a stopped
emergency vehicle with its
red lights flashing. If the highway has
two or more lanes, the
driver must move over into another lane if it
can be done safely.
- In all circumstances drivers must take
into consideration traffic and
weather conditions when
taking the appropriate action when
approaching a stopped
emergency vehicle with its red lights
activated.
- A person who contravenes these
requirements will be guilty of an
offense punishable, for a
first offense, by a fine of $400 to $2,000
and for subsequent offenses
by a fine of $1,000 to $4,000, or to
imprisonment for a maximum
of six months, or to both a fine and
imprisonment. All
convictions will result in the addition of three
demerit points to a driver's
record. The court that convicts a person
of an offense may also
suspend his or her driver's license for a
maximum of two years.
Please pass this information on.
And remember to Move Over - it's The Law!