Missouri State Highway Patrol Reminds Motorists to Move Over

You are familiar with Missouri's "Move Over" law, right? After a second Illinois State Trooper was killed working along a highway this year, three Missouri state agencies are uniting to remind motorists about the law that requires drivers to slow their vehicle down and proceed with extreme caution whenever they approach a stopped emergency vehicle.

“Twice, in less than three months, a family has been devastated after losing a loved one in a crash that should not have happened,” Colonel Eric Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a release. “We’re asking drivers to ‘move over,’ as required by law.”

Officers Brooke Jones-Story and Christopher Lambert of the Illinois State Police both died after being hit by vehicles while performing their jobs. Trooper Jones-Story was killed last Thursday while conducting an inspection of a truck after being struck by another semi-tractor trailer. Lambert died in January after being hit by a vehicle as he was working a traffic crash scene.

MoDOT Deputy Director and Chief Engineer Ed Hassinger said in the release that public servants are just doing their job and trying to make it home safely that night and that MoDOT asks "all drivers to keep the safety of our public servants in mind when traveling Missouri roads."

Missouri's "Move Over" law requires motorists who encounter a stopped emergency services vehicle to "move over" and proceed with caution in the following ways:

• Yield the right of way to any emergency vehicle.
• Move into a lane not adjacent to the stopped emergency vehicle while on a roadway with at least four lanes, two of which are in the motorists direction of travel.
• If a lane change isn't possible, proceed with caution and slow down while maintaining a safe speed for traffic conditions.

Nine members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol have died in the line of duty and several others have been severely injured after being struck by vehicles while doing their job. Four of those deaths have occurred after the "Move Over" law was passed. 134 MoDOT employees have died in the line of duty since 1932.

Whether a police officer, a MoDOT employee, a firefighter, paramedic or a tow truck driver, working along roadways like highway 50 or Interstate 70 can be dangerous. And when one of these public servants step out of his or her truck or cruiser on the road they're putting their life at risk.

Help them make it home alive. When you see amber, white, blue, and or red lights move over and slow down. In fact, do yourself a favor, whenever you see any car on the side of the road. Move over and slow down. It's a simple way to be excellent to your fellow travelers and the men and women who keep us safe on the road.