MOVE RIGHT FOR SIRENS AND LIGHTS &
GEORGIA'S NEW MOVE OVER LAW
 

If you or someone you love is in need of emergency assistance, you want help to get there right away. Did you know that there’s one thing everyone can do to help the firefighters provide this emergency assistance as quickly as possible? It’s as simple as Moving to the Right for Sirens and Lights!

Every year in the U.S., there are almost 16,000 collisions involving fire department emergency vehicles while responding to or returning from incidents. These collisions result in over 1,000 firefighter injuries and almost fifty deaths.

Many people panic or simply don’t adhere to the rules of the road for approaching emergency vehicles. The law is very specific; drivers must yield the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle, and failure to do so can cause serious accidents or delays in ambulances, fire engines and fire trucks arriving at the scene of an emergency. Firefighters are careful to avoid vehicle collisions by driving slowly when traveling against traffic, or coming to a complete stop at intersections. However, the cooperation of ALL vehicles on the roadway is essential.

There are some simple rules to follow when you’re on the road and encounter an emergency vehicle:

DO:

·     Stay calm.

·     Pull to the right and come to a complete stop.

·     If you’re traveling on a high-speed road or if there is no room to stop, slow down as much as possible.

·     If you are in the left lane, pull over into the right lane as traffic in the lane to your right moves over.

·     If you cannot move to the right because of another vehicle or obstacle, just stop. Your action will let the driver of the emergency vehicle know what you are doing and allow the driver to anticipate where to drive.

·     When an emergency vehicle approaches you from behind while you are stopped at an intersection, stay where you are unless you can pull to the right.

·     On a 4-lane highway or street without barriers, both sides of traffic should pull to the right.

·     Be careful when driving by or around a motor vehicle accident or any situation where emergency vehicles are parked and the firefighters are working.

·     Drivers should stay at least 500 feet behind emergency vehicles.

DON’T:

·       Don’t panic.

·     Don’t play your radio so loudly that you are unable to hear sirens.

·     Don’t stop in the middle lane when there is room to pull to the right.

·     Don’t pull to the left in the center lane or left turn lane.

·     Don’t race ahead to make the green light or turn before the emergency vehicle gets there.

·     Don’t turn quickly to the left onto a street or driveway.

·     Don’t drive through a red light or stop sign when an emergency vehicle approaches from behind.

·     If the emergency vehicle is traveling on the opposite direction of a divided highway or street, you do not need to pull over.

·     Don’t disregard the presence of the emergency vehicle by continuing to drive.

MOVE OVER LAW

Georgia’s new Move-Over Law says drivers must move-over for emergency vehicles stopped on the side of the highway. The law is meant to keep Firefighers, Police Officers and traffic violators safe from crashes with passing cars.

The Move-Over Law was passed in the aftermath of growing numbers of police, emergency technicians and DOT workers being killed during routine traffic stops, crash responses and highway construction projects around the nation. Right now, more than thirty states have Move-Over Laws on the books, with fines that range as high as a thousand dollars or more in some jurisdictions. The Move-Over fine in Georgia is an “attention-getting” five-hundred-dollars.

However, failure to obey the Move-Over Law can lead to consequences far more serious than fines. According to FBI statistics, traffic crashes claim the lives of more police personnel than any other cause of death in the line of duty, including shootings. The FBI says last year, forty-nine officers died in crashes across the country. Thirteen of those law enforcement officers were struck and killed by passing vehicles while they worked outside their patrol cars.

“Georgia’s Move-Over Law was meant to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities to police officers, paramedics, firefighters, tow truck operators and highway maintenance workers,” said Director Bob Dallas of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Reports show emergency vehicles of all types have been struck while parked beside Georgia highways, even while their emergency lights were flashing.

The Georgia Move-Over Law requires drivers to move-over one lane when possible if an emergency vehicle with flashing lights is parked on the shoulder of the highway. And if traffic is too heavy to move-over safely, the law requires drivers to slow down below the posted speed limit instead AND to be prepared to stop.