According to recent news, there is a new Texas law that could cost people up to $4,000 for non-compliance. On Texas roadways, thousands of law enforcement officials, emergency personnel, and road maintenance workers brave heavy traffic and inattentive drivers every day. Sadly, many of them suffer fatalities or serious injuries while working. TxDOT encourages vehicles to obey the state’s “Move Over or Slow Down” laws to protect these vital workers.
The ‘Move Over Law’ is a new Texas law that the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is pushing, and drivers in Texas should be aware of it. Failure to comply with it might result in fines of up to $4,000. This is a new Texas law that intends to prioritize the passage of emergency vehicles; thus, drivers will be required to change lanes or reduce their speed to clear the roadway. Drivers will be forced to either drop to 32 kilometers per hour or exit the lane nearest the emergency unit.
The primary objective of this change is to safeguard those who work on the side of the road, often in extreme conditions, such as on a highway with vehicles speeding over 100 km/h. Drivers typically do not change their behavior when they notice workers or help services by the side of the road, which results in hundreds of serious accidents annually, according to figures from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). A culture of respect for workers who strive for everyone’s safety will be fostered by the More Over Law, in addition to saving lives.
Gregg Abbott, the governor of Texas, informed drivers on social media about the new legislation’s implementation and urged them to be mindful of road safety concerns. According to Abbott’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, when you see a work vehicle or emergency vehicle parked on the side of the road, you have to move over or reduce your speed. The Texas law says so. Keep an eye out for stopped cars and drive cautiously.
Drivers will be required to yield to emergency medical services, police, fire, the Texas Department of Transportation, tow trucks, and other vehicles. If a person violates the Texas Law for the first time, they could be fined up to $1,250. If someone violates instructions and causes harm, they may be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, imprisoned, and fined up to $4,000. The Move Over Law requires drivers to:
- Be aware of the road and pay attention when approaching law enforcement personnel, emergency vehicles, tow trucks, and TxDOT vehicles with flashing lights on.
- When feasible, get out of the lane nearest to these vehicles.
- Reduce your speed to 20 mph below the posted speed limit if it is not safe to change lanes or if the road does not have multiple lanes.
When the state’s “Move Over or Slow Down” statute was first approved in 2003, it applied to emergency medical services, fire, and law enforcement vehicles. Since then, TxDOT vehicles, tow trucks, and utility service vehicles have been included in the law’s protections by the Texas Legislature. One of the main tenets of #EndTheStreakTX, a larger social media and word-of-mouth campaign, is “Be Safe. Drive Smart,” which urges drivers to make safer decisions when operating a motor vehicle to break the daily fatality streak. The final day without a fatality on Texas roads was November 7, 2000.
How can residents abide by this Texas law?
It’s easy and only requires three steps: lower your speed to at least 32 km/h below the allowed limit, change lanes if it’s safe to do so, and pay attention to any lights on the shoulder. These three extremely easy steps can have a significant impact on safety. Keep in mind that everyone owns the road and that everyone has the right to get home safely. We all enjoy returning home after a long day of work, but nobody enjoys getting punished.
This regulation is not intended to penalize drivers; rather, it is meant to raise awareness of the need to respect the lives of those we encounter while driving. Following the lane change and speed decrease rules is not difficult. The next time you’re driving on a road with workers on the shoulder, keep in mind that everything is on the line!