Posted on 07/27/2011 8:43:23 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Dear FReeper friends... I just got this e-mail and wanted to make sure if you are aware of the existence of this new nationwide traffic law ...
Most importantly --- IS IT TRUE?
Thanks
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New Traffic Law 2010 - Ticket cost $754.00
GOOD THING TO KNOW: New Law: If a patrol car is pulled over to the side of the road, you have to change to the next lane (away from the stopped vehicle) or slow down by 20 mph. Every state except Hawaii , Maryland and D.C. has this law. In California , the "Move-over" law became operative on January 1, 2010.
A friend's son got a ticket for this recently. A police car (turned out)it was 2 police cars) was on the side of the road giving a ticket to someone else. He slowed down to pass but did not move into the other lane. The second police car immediately pulled him over and gave him a ticket. He had never heard of the law. It is a fairly new law that states if any emergency vehicle is on the side of the road, if you are able, you are to move into the far lane.
The cost of the ticket was $754, with 3 points on your license and a mandatory court appearance. Please let everyone you know that drives about this new law. It is true, see details at the following web address:
http://www.moveoveramerica.com/
I believe they recently enacted a similar law in NY, though I don’t know what the fine is.
I have a feeling this will cause more accidents than it prevents. As long at the police and the cars involved in the traffic stop/accident are not in a lane of traffic, changing lanesseems unnecessary, and I have no doubt many accidents will occur when people panic and quickly change lanes to avoid a ticket.
Nope, didn’t know that, but that would explain the massive traffic jams caused by just one patrol car sitting on the side of the road.
One patrol car the other day caused a 22 mile back up on the I5, thought there was a massive wreak up ahead and when I got there it was a lone patrol car that had pulled someone over with his lights on.
If you do the math, this would take less than 20 mins to develop assuming a highway speed of 55mph which is a very conservative estimate.
RE: Why does that upset you?
I’m not upset, it’s just that the fine of $754.00 appears excessive. I am NOT SURE if this is true.
If so, is it nationwide? or are the fines different for each state?
I do it anyway out of courtesy to the trooper. Same for joggers/walkers/bikers on the local roads.Same here. I've always done this, reflexively, without thinking. Just always seemed like a good idea.
But it's good to know that it's not just a good idea, it's the law.
(Which reminds me of a T-shirt I saw once:
186,000 miles per second. It's not just a good idea. It's the Law.)
But it’s good to know that it’s not just a good idea, it’s the law.
Why do you need a law? I think we have plenty of laws. We don’t need any more.
RE: Have a link to the originating website
There is a link in the original post.
The e-mail was sent to me by my wife ( and she got hers from a friend ). I happening to be traveling on company business now and just got this e-mail via my Blackberry.
The specifics of the laws and the fines are determined by the state. It’s not a nationwide thing.
But my question is...
Is it really an “emergency” to give some poor slob a speeding ticket?
If it’s a true emergency, then fine. Otherwise the 90 percent of the time cops are on the side of the road for such emergencies, then I wonder why they just don’t tell that speeder to head for the nearest exit so they can continue their revenue collection process?
The way to avoid paying them is to go the speed limit...no matter what it is.That's excellent advice, which I try to follow but can't always do it.
If the flow of crowded traffic on a 4-lane urban freeway (2 lanes in both directions) is 10-15 miles over the speed limit, I just go with the flow and hope for the protection of anonymity. Otherwise you invite extreme tail-gaters. If there are more lanes, it's easy enough to stay in the right lane, but when their are only 2 lanes in a crowded urban area, and both those lanes are going fast, I just don't see how trying to stick to the speed limit is a safe thing to do.
I didn’t mean to say that I agree with the law. What I was saying (probably unclearly) was that it’s good to KNOW that it’s a law, that it’s good to not be ignorant of the fact that it’s a law.
FR is a great site. Great place to get good information on all sorts of subjects.
RE: I believe they recently enacted a similar law in NY, though I don’t know what the fine is.
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I just arrived at a place where I could use a desktop and did a Google search of the Move Over law in NY State ( where I live ).
http://www.nytrafficticket.com/blog/index.php/2011/01/11/new-york-move-over-law-takes-effect/
Here is the entire article :
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On January 1, 2011, New York’s “move over” law went into effect and it took just a few days before my first client called us after being issued a mover over traffic ticket.
The move over law requires motorists on multi-lane highways to slow down and “move over” (when safe to do so) giving safe clearance to approaching stopped emergency vehicles with red flashing lights. If you do not slow down and change lanes when approaching such vehicle, you can be issued a moving violation which carries 2 points and up to a $150 fine. On single lane roads, motorists must slow down and use caution.
More than 150 U.S. law enforcement officers have been killed since 1999 after being struck by vehicles along America’s highways, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. To lower that deadly toll, almost every state has enacted a “move over” law.
The New York “move over” law was named for Onondaga County Sheriff Deputy Glenn Searles and State Trooper Robert Ambrose, who both lost their lives responding to roadside emergencies. Ambrose and a stopped motorist were tragically killed 9 years ago when his police cruiser was rear-ended by an intoxicated driver in a SUV on the side of the New York Thruway in Yonkers. Searles was struck and killed in 2003 by a mini van.
Just this Monday, a state trooper making an emergency stop on the thruway in New Paltz, was injured when a passing vehicle suffered a blown-out tire and struck the officer. The officer is expected to recover but this incident highlights how important it is for motorists to use caution, slow down and move away from cars stopped on a shoulder.
Update: Police are using this new law to trap motorists. Specifically, they park a police car on the side of the road with lights on (and sometimes without) and wait for motorists to fail to move over. Despite there being no emergency, motorists are then pulled over and issued a “move over” ticket, a 3-point violation.
This law was specifically enacted to protect law enforcement officers who have been killed or injured while responding to roadside emergencies. It is therefore disconcerting that police officers would create fake emergencies to ensnare motorists.
Because this is a new law, this particular trap has been very effective catching many motorists in “violation” of the law. If you are such a victim, we recommend pleading not guilty and fighting your move over ticket.
Below is the text for the move over law.
§ 1144-a. Operation of vehicles when approaching a parked, stopped or standing authorized emergency vehicle.
Every operator of a motor vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with an authorized emergency vehicle which is parked, stopped or standing on the shoulder or any portion of such highway and such authorized emergency vehicle is displaying one or more red or combination red and white lights pursuant to the provisions of paragraph two of subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seventy-five of this chapter. For operators of motor vehicles on parkways or controlled access highways, such due care shall include, but not be limited to, moving from a lane which contains or is immediately adjacent to the shoulder where such authorized emergency vehicle displaying one or more red or combination red and white lights pursuant to the provisions of paragraph two of subdivision forty-one of section three hundred seventy-five of this chapter is parked, stopped or standing to another lane, provided that such movement otherwise complies with the requirements of this chapter including, but not limited to, the provisions of sections eleven hundred ten of this title and eleven hundred twenty-eight of this title.
I did not know this. I drive mainly multi lane highways and do not drive in the lane closest to the right side of the road. That is probably why I have never been stopped. Thanks for posting the information.
Didn't matter to Mr. NHP - he gave us the ticket anyway. My husband said he got the ticket only because the NHP officer had to stand on the running board to look in our window. *giggle*
Hubby took it to court and plead "not guilty" with the ADA. The ADA agreed and recommended to the judge that all charges be dropped after hubby had 6 months w/out a ticket. Six months later his driving record was clean again.
So you think it’s OK to run down police officers?
The reason this law exists is because a number of police officers in the past have been struck by passing vehicles while they were standing next to a driver’s door giving a ticket.
Ideally, the officer should have the offender pull over into a parking lot, but that isn’t always possible. Most of the time the car pulls over onto the shoulder of the road, which means the officer must stand on the edge of the roadway while cars zoom past him only inches away (literally, only inches away) from his body.
How would you feel if you were standing next to a car, and car after car (driven by complete strangers) were passing withing just a few inches of you? The danger of the officer being clipped by a fender or mirror is high. Even at only 20 miles an hour, the damage done to someone hit by a car can be serious.
This is a safety issue for police officers. The fine is high, because it’s the only way to get the message across to the thick-headed that you need to watch out for police officers if they are standing on the side of the road interacting with a citizen.
Normally, I’m opposed to governments using traffic citations as money-making opportunities (which most are), but this is a time when a high fine is called for (imho).
Yeah, its true. I spend a lot of time on the road and know this is the law in most states. Fines vary by states and some states like WY (IIRC) have signs posted.
RE: So you think it’s OK to run down police officers?
How did you conclude that from my post? SHEESH !
Try suddenly slowing down to 20MPH here on a NJ highway and the front end of the guy tailgaiting you will end up in your back seat.
simply adds an additional category to the list of covered responders (Caltrans vehicles with flashing amber warning lights) and makes the law permanent.
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Caltrans = California’s state religion. They hold services most often at night.
There are just as many statists on the right, you know. Like the one’s that demand the federal government ban gay marriage and flag burning and abortion.
All that’s different is the pet projects the statist supports.
(Me, I think it ought to be left to the states for marriage... and up to the local counties for abortion and flag burning.)
RE: We are in Nevada and my husband got one of these tickets.
Two questions :
1) When did it happen?
2) How much is the fine in Nevada?
Thanks.
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