News

Motorists to get lesson on 'Move Over Act'

06/16/2008

Motorists traveling on Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County should be extra careful to move over or slow down this week when they see an emergency vehicle stopped on the side of the highway.

The Florida Highway Patrol is teaming up with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and local police departments to conduct extra patrols on I-95 to educate motorists about the "Move Over Act," the Sheriff's Office said Saturday in a prepared statement.

Under a law enacted in 2002, motorists who see an emergency vehicle parked on a highway with its emergency lights activated are required to vacate the lane closest to the emergency vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so, the sheriff's office said.

If it is a two-lane highway, motorists are required to slow to a speed that is 20 mph less than the posted speed, the Sheriff's Office said.

The primary objective of the extra patrols is to save the lives of law enforcement officers conducting traffic stops, the Sheriff's Office said. The secondary objective is to educate the public on the "Move Over Act."

For more information, see the following Web sites: Florida Highway Patrol Web site: www.flhsmv.gov/fhp and National Safety Commission's Move Over America Web site: http://www.moveoveramerica.com/.