TEXAS STING GARNERS MOVE-OVER LAW VIOLATORS

The Bryan Police Department issued six citations and a warning Wednesday during Operation Move-Over on Texas 6. Officers were positioned between the University Drive and Tabor Road exits in an effort to reduce the number of motorists who ignore the move-over law, police said. By law, passing drivers must vacate the lane closest to a stationary emergency vehicle using its overhead lights on a multi-lane roadway, if possible, or reduce their speed to at least 20 miles per hour below the posted limit. On two-lane roadways with a speed limit below 25 miles per hour, drivers are required to slow to 5 miles per hour, the law states. This move-over law is intended to protect police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel when it is necessary for them to work on or near a roadway. If a violation of the law results in property damage, the offense is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500. If bodily injury occurs to anyone nearby as a result of the violation, the offense becomes a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.