City of Coos Bay OR : Move-Over…Please

With the New Year upon us, change is brought about in all different forms and fashions. The 'Move-Over Law' has recently seen a change starting January 1, 2018. The original 'Move-Over Law' came into effect several years ago and was intended to reduce the significant danger to emergency first responders. The law required motorists to move over one lane or reduce speed for emergency vehicled stopped on the shoulder of a highway with two or more lanes in a single direction.

Under the new law, motorists will be required to move over a lane or slow down for any vehicle stopped and displaying a warning or hazard light, flares, of an emergency sign on a highway shoulder. Many motorists already do this as a matter of courtesy; however, under the new law, this practice will now become a requirement.

Requiring vehicles to slow down or move over provides the stopped vehicle with an extra measure of safety, whether it be a motorist changing a tire, a disabled commercial truck, an emergency vehicle responding to a crash, workers in a highway construction work zone, or an ODOT maintenance employee engaged in highway maintenance.

The law retains the same penalty as the past law for emergency vehicles and is a Class B traffic violation which could result in a $260 fine.