DPS PLANNING MOVE OVER/SLOW DOWN OPERATION FOR WEDNESDAY

  

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is planning another enforcement operation of the state’s Move Over/Slow Down law.

DPS plans enforcement operations throughout the year at various times, with one of these operations taking place throughout tomorrow (Wednesday) in the Bryan District. The Department of Transportation will be participating in a non-enforcement capacity.

Originally passed in 2003, the law requires drivers to either move over or slow down when certain vehicles are stopped on the side of the road with their emergency lights on. These include police, fire, EMS, TxDOT vehicles and tow trucks.

Specifically, law states that a driver must either vacate the lane closest to the vehicles stopped on the side of the road, or slow down 20 miles-per-hour below the speed limit. Drivers should only move over if they can do so legally and safely; otherwise, they should slow down.

DPS Director Steven McCraw says that the safety of Highway Patrol Troopers and other officers is particularly vulnerable while working on the side of the road, where one mistake by a passing motorist can end in tragedy.

Violators of the law can be fined up to $200, or up to $500 if there is property damage. If violators cause bodily injury, they can be charged with a Class B misdemeanor, resulting in possible jail time and a maximum fine of $2,000.

Preliminary data shows that, from January 2018 to January 2019, DPS issued more than 44,000 warnings and citations to motorists violating the Move Over/Slow Down law.