Move Over - Slow Down

[firefighter ontheside]

Many states have this law.  It requires drivers to move over to an adjacent lane if possible when they see a stationary emergency vehicle with lights on.  Also drivers are to slow down so as to pass more safely as they pass the scene.  This seems like a very reasonable requirement.  We do everything we can to position our apparatus at locations that afford very reasonable sight distances to alert drivers to upcoming scenes.  One of the things I do on most vehicle accident scenes when I arrive with my pickup truck which is equipped with many emergency lights is to assess whether there is already good visibilty or if I should place my vehicle further back or around a curve.  That often puts me and my vehicle in a place where I will be the first emergency vehicle hit by another vehicle that did not heed the law.

Yesterday morning, a chief officer of the fire department that hosts my FEMA task force did just that.  He parked at the scene of an overturned truck in the highway.  A tractor trailer that did not heed the law for whatever reason drove right into the chief's vehicle at 70mph.  He was killed instantly.  I did not know Assistant Chief Bryant Gladney, since he was not involved with the Task Force anymore.  I have seen him around headquarters but never talked with him.  At one time he was involved with the Task Force and was one of the members who responded to 9-11.

All that we ask is that you slow down and/or change lanes to afford us more room.  

[Old Greenhorn]

Very sorry to read this...twice. I had just gotten the notice from the USFA before you posted. Seems that driver also hit the ambulance working the scene as well as the original crash vehicle. This happens too often as we both know and it is always hard for me to fathom. Some drivers don't seem to care or think.
 I am sure we could go through a lot of beer or coffee swapping stories about Emergency Vehicle ops and crazy drivers. This cost a man 58 years old, with 25 years of service his life. It just isn't right and I don't know how to make people understand. We are now up to 140 people lost in the line of duty with the fire service this year. We used to be down in the 60's for a while but with COVID, the numbers are way up. Some days it seems like a get 2 notices a day, then a few days with nothing. Each one breaks my heart. 
 I am sorry for the loss to you,  your department, teams, and his family. Senseless.

[firefighter ontheside]

Luckily no one else on the scene was injured.  That's a miracle in itself and the only good news to come out of the incident.

[Old Greenhorn]

And just like that, within seconds of my last post, the number is up to 141. A 30 y/o firefighter/EMT from Chicago FD with just 1 year in suffered a medical emergency at a 2 story apartment fatal fire and died from it 5 days later. Too many.

Yes, that (the lack of other injuries) tells me the apparatus placement likely saved others lives. I have looked over too many trucks that were beyond saving after stuff like that. But trucks can be replaced.

[mike_belben]

 :'(  

[samandothers]

A young officer here in Charlotte NC lost her life Wednesday morning in similar circumstances.  She had just returned to service after maternity leave, her 3rd child.  Her husband is a firefighter.  So sad and avoidable.  3 other officers injured.

[firefighter ontheside]

Yes, its becoming a major risk for first responders.  So much more than in the past.  Yet, its so avoidable.

[Southside]

Sorry to hear of this, I have been there and one time was just after Christmas similar to now. Sticks with everyone. 

[thecfarm]

I think that is a law in Maine, slow down and move over!!

[OntarioAl]

Same law here in Ontario
Al

[sawguy21]

Same here but it doesn't seem to have much effect, all too often we hear of construction or emergency personnel killed or injured on the highways. I once worked as a flagman, got scared spitless more than once. We actually had to have a police cruiser on site.

[mike_belben]

thats just painful to hear such tragedy. 

[ESFted]

Very sad when someone is killed doing their job by a careless driver.  Just finished a cross country road trip on the northern route, with very heavy traffic.  We saw several accidents and people were pulling over if given a chance and slowing down when traffic was too heavy.  We also saw many more vehicles with flashing lights picking up highway debris and people were giving them the same courtesy.  The more time people have to react to emergency vehicles, the better off we will all be, but at highway speeds in heavy traffic sometimes there's no time to react.  I wish there was some sort of emergency broadcast keyed to modern vehicles that would announce an accident or lane closure. 

[firefighter ontheside]

 @ESFted that would be a good thing.

[Ron Scott]

"Move Over - Slow Down" has been law here in Michigan for the past few years after similar such roadside deaths and injuries to first responders.

[Ed_K]

 Ma. has this law  ;) . I travel the north south hi-way from top to bottom couple time a week, I see more out of staters pull out than mass drivers. I think ma is almost a the top of the list of bad drivers, and they are. 

[thecfarm]

Don't want to turn this thread into some people are inconsiderate, but seems like some are. Note the some word. I see it almost every day. I work in a hardware store and see it there. I drive and see it on the road. We all have got in the wrong lane, forgot to put the turn signal on, made a stop a little too quick and so on. No need to blow the horn and salute me, you are not perfect either. ;D
But have seen the ones that do not slow down and move over. At least move over if you are so dumb you can't slow down. That could be someone they know or care about.
But as I hear all too often. Well it's not or That's different.  :(  :

[firefighter ontheside]

Right and its such a small amount of time out of your day to slow down for half a mile.  You probably lose one second of commute time.  If you can't leave one second early in the morning to get to work in the name of someone else getting to go home that day, then you are worse than inconsiderate.

[Raider Bill]

WFLA: Sunshine Skyway Bridge lit yellow for Florida's Move Over Month.
https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/sunset-skyway-bridge-lit-yellow-for-floridas-move-over-month/

[Old saw fixer]

If only the left lane cruisers would let us old folks driving the speed limit move to the left lane!

[Bill]

We have similar law -

Move over one lane from parked emergency vehicles and slow down ( alot ) if you can't .

Many move over for all parked vehicles ( ie abandoned etc )

It mostly works but there are an awful lot of inconsiderate folks who believe the law only applies to other folks  . . .

kinda a generalization that applies too often

[Ed_K]

 Coming home yesterday afternoon, car broke down up close to the guardrail d door open 5 of us pulled the the left the guy just in front of me that was already in the l lane pulls to the r lane just as we all go by >:(. Just so he could go  : . And they never get caught.

[Stephen1]

If only the left lane cruisers would let us old folks driving the speed limit move to the left lane!

My buddy 40+ year truck driver says "the turn signal is not a sugestion, I'm moving over'.
I use it all the time for emergency flashing lights , I put my turn signal on and over I go and I slow down. Not a lot, maybe 10-20 mph. I definitly get a lot of people waving at me..... :D with the middle finger. 

[Ljohnsaw]

I was thinking this was last year but it was actually March of 2019.  A family was featured on the evening news that the father and mother were missing - he was a tow truck operator and she was his helper.  Then there was a report of a tow truck going over the edge of a bridge across the Sacramento river.  Turned out the operator was stopped on the bridge to service a vehicle stopped in the left lane.  A semi truck rammed it, launching it over the bridge railing, landing in the river 80 feet below.  The current was too swift to allow for a water rescue.  It took nearly 3 weeks to recover the truck and the bodies.

[Ed_K]

 Yesterday was the very worst day I have ever witness. On rt 91 1/4 glare ice, salt under it doing no good. We had a line of traffic in front of us and behind all trucking along 27 mi an hr. I told Rita this is stupid we're all going to fast, we have a new subaru 2020 all wheel drive and you didn't dare touch the brakes or steer much, just try to stay in the track of the guy in front of me. All of a sudden the head driver left lane just slid off into the merridan and the guy across went the other way, I let off the gas an slowed to 5mph got people behind me slowed too. The idiot get a grip in the grass and come shootin right back onto the road surface and goes again. I couldn't believe he just couldn't go slow.

 I told Rita later that I was the scardest I've ever been in 50 something yrs of driving, we were actually not on the road, no braking, steering or gas munipulation would have been any good. Just maintain a constant petal.

 If it's black ice just don't bother going out the driveway  ;D.