Pennsylvania: 'Move Over' law goes into effect in January
A measure to enhance safety for utility line personnel is set to go into effect next month.
Act 61 of 2015, referred to as “Move Over PA,” provides greater protections to utility line workers engaged in restoring service during times of declared emergencies.
Gov. Tom Wolf signed the measure into law on Nov. 4, and the law takes effect 60 days after the governor’s signing.
Introduced by state Sen. Michele Brooks, whose constituency includes all of Crawford County, as Senate Bill 765, the legislation was unanimously approved by both houses of the state General Assembly.
“Risking their safety, these men and women are out at all hours of the day and night in the worst of weather to ensure we receive services,” Brooks said. “This legislation is one way we can help protect them.”
The measure requires vehicles to yield to line personnel actively engaged in emergency situations along roadways. Line crews are now legally considered emergency service providers, joining police officers, firefighters, ambulance personnel, highway maintenance and construction personnel, emergency medical services personnel, and towing and recovery personnel.
Drivers who encounter a line crew working during an emergency must move to a lane that is not adjacent to the emergency response area, if possible, or slow down if they cannot change lanes. Drivers that fail to do so can be found guilty of a summary offense and fined.
“Cooperative leaders worked closely with Sen. Brooks and a number of other legislators in the General Assembly to get this important safety legislation passed,” said Frank Betley, president and chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, a statewide organization that represents 14 rural electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. “The enactment of this bill is a testament to not only the safety-first mindset of electric cooperatives and their concern for the safety of their line crews, but also the grassroots engagement and political activism of electric cooperative leaders around the state.”
“Safety is paramount in our daily work at the cooperative," said Mary Grill, president and CEO of the Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative Association located in Cambridge Springs. "We appreciate those in our community doing what they can to keep our line personnel safe when they are out there maintaining our power reliability for our members.”
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