GEORGIA 'MOVE OVER LAW' CRACKDOWN
Norcross police are posting warning signs about the state's Move Over law on city streets and roads. Even though the law has been in effect for five years, few motorists are aware of it. You may see the overhead warning signs on Atlanta’s interstates, but there are no warning signs on state and local roads.
There are now. Norcross police put up the first of eight signs Wednesday on state roads in the city. Police Officer Wayne Thaxton came up with the idea to post the warning signs. “I’ve had a lot of friends injured, even had friends killed due to the fact that they were rear ended during a traffic stop,” Thaxton said. Officer Thaxton was a police officer in Gwinnett County when fellow officer Chris McGill was killed. In May of 1993, Officer McGill was parked on the shoulder of I-85 near Jimmy Carter Boulevard when a drunk driver plowed into the back of his patrol car.
In Coweta County this past New Year’s Eve, a sheriff's deputy had a car pulled over when a passing motorist hit his patrol car. The deputy was writing a ticket and when he opened his driver side door a passing car clipped it.
The first Norcross sign went up on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon near Holcomb Bridge Road. While a work crew put up the sign, a Norcross police officer had his blue lights flashing on the shoulder. Very few cars moved over or slowed down.
“More officers are killed by traffic collisions than anything else,” Officer Thaxton said. “Of all those who were killed in traffic collisions, over a fourth of those were hit while standing on the side of the road.”
More local agencies are expected to follow Norcross' lead with the help of funding from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
The law is simple: When you see flashing emergency lights on the side of the road, move over one lane. If you can’t move over, slow down and be prepared to stop. The law applies to all emergency vehicles including tow trucks, ambulances, fire trucks and utility trucks. Those who violate the law could be fined up to $500.
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