With more travel in the summer months, here is a reminder about Pennsylvania’s Move Over Law.
The law, signed in October, 2020 and went into effect April, 2021, requires drivers approaching an emergency response area who are unable to safely merge into a lane farther away from the response area to “pass the emergency response area at a speed of no more than 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit and reasonable for safely passing,” according to PennDOT.
An emergency response area is where an emergency vehicle has its lights flashing, or where road crews or emergency responders have lighted flares, posted signs, or try to warn travelers.
PennDOT lists the structures of the law:
- Creates a new point system that imposes two points for failure to merge into the lane not next to the emergency response area.
- Sets fines at $500 for first-time offenders, $1,000 for a second offense, and $2,000 for a third or subsequent offense.
- Requires a 90-day license suspension for a third or subsequent offense. The license suspension also applies to incidents that seriously injure or kill another person. The suspension is six months if the person injured or killed is an emergency service provider or was near a disabled vehicle.
- Sets additional fines of up to $10,000 for violators who injure or kill an emergency service responder or a person in or near a disabled vehicle.
- Doubled fines for several traffic violations when committed in an emergency response area when first responders are present.
A similar law (Title 75, Section 4572.2) requires motorists to move over or slow down when approaching a stationary trash or recycling truck.
Emergency responders will mark response areas with road flares, caution signs, or other traffic-control devices.
PennDOT said, Disabled vehicles are covered by the Move Over law when they display at least two of the following markings:
- Vehicular hazard signal lamps.
- Caution signs or other traffic control device.
- Road flares.
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