Wisconsin: Move Over Campaign Aims to Curb Deadly Effects of Law Violations

The state Department of Transportation wants to remind drivers that they must comply with the state's Move Over Law.

The DOT is doing that with a series of Facebook videos and by using

MoveOver, in it's new social media campaign.

"There are a lot of people who work everyday around the highways in the state and the idea is to help them be a little safer so they can go home at night," says Winnebago County Highway Commissioner, Ernest Winters.

The DOT videos feature people, like Winters, who have experienced first-hand the devastating effects of crashes involving Move Over Law violations.

"In '06 we lost two people in the same accident. They were doing their jobs on the side of the road, they had all their lights and flashers on, traffic was very heavy and someone over-reacted to their vehicle and terribly unfortunate but that's what happens when traffic is heavy and people aren't paying enough attention," explains Winters.

The #MoveOver campaign videos also feature the story of a state patrol trooper who narrowly escaped being hit by a semi that failed to move over in Sheboygan County.

While Trooper Daniel Hester says he's never had that close of a call, he and his fellow troopers do notice when people obey the law and slow down or move over.

"If people don't move over and they go by at 70 plus miles per hour, which is what most people are doing right now, your car completely moves it shakes, it goes over. That's why you can really tell when someone either slows down or they don't," explains Lt. Hester.

If you violate the Move Over Law, you can be ticketed.