15 Percent Of Drivers Unaware Florida Has The Move Over Law

FLORIDA — Drivers are reminded to slow down and move over when they see tow truck drivers and others helping disabled vehicles, in light of 125 people being killed in Florida from 2015-19 while outside a disabled vehicle, according to AAA.

A move-over law was enacted 2002 in Florida, but 15 percent of drivers in the state are unaware that Florida has this law, an AAA survey showed. Twenty-three percent of Florida drivers have experienced a crash or near miss with an emergency vehicle on the side of the road. The state has third-most roadside fatalities in the U.S., after Texas (263) and California (248).

"Deaths like these can be avoided if drivers slow down and move over to give these people room to work safely,” said Scott VerBracken, vice president of AAA. "We can't stress enough how important it is to pay attention so you have time to change lanes when you see AAA, an emergency responder, or simply anybody along the side of the road."

The law requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down for first responders on the roadside.

Why aren’t Drivers Complying with Move-Over Laws?
There are many reasons why these types of crashes happen, AAA said. Below are reasons provided by AAA:

• Unfamiliarity with move-over laws.
• The driver being distracted and not realizing there is someone at the side of the road until it’s too late, etc.
• Impairment, which greatly reduces a driver’s judgment and reaction time.
• The reality is that drivers are increasingly distracted while driving. Previous AAA Foundation research has found that drivers are up to four times as likely to crash if they are talking on a cell phone while driving and up to eight times as likely to be in a crash if texting.

"If you drive distracted, you may not notice the person on the roadside until it’s too late, and that’s how tragedies occur,” said AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins. “Drivers should constantly scan the road, not their phone. If you see something, anything, on the shoulder ahead, slow down and move over. It could literally save someone’s life.”