Virginia: Raising Awareness of the Move Over Law

The month of June is Move Over Awareness Month, which the Virginia General Assemble declared in 2014 to continue raising driver awareness about the state's Move Over law. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 22 public safety professionals were hit and killed by vehicles across the nation in 2013 and 2014.

Since 2005, NLEOMF says 123 law enforcement personnel have died after being hit by a vehicle. In Virginia, the Drive 2 Save Lives campaign is aimed at decreasing traffic fatalities, including lowering the number of public safety professionals and highway workers injured or killed. The Move Over law went into effect in Virginia 13 years ago to protect first responders, and it was expanded in 2010 to include highway maintenance vehicles and tow trucks with amber lights.

When drivers see a police or highway maintenance vehicle pulled over on the side of the road with its lights on, the law says the driver should move over to the next lane if possible. If changing lanes is not possible, the driver needs to slow down. Every state has some version of of a Move Over law.