DPS PLANNING “MOVE OVER/SLOW DOWN” OPERATION WEDNESDAY
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has another enforcement operation planned of the state’s Move Over/Slow Down law.
DPS plans these operations throughout the year at various times and locations, with one taking place 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 or slow down when certain vehicles are stopped on the side of the road with their emergency lights on. Those include police, fire, EMS, TxDOT vehicles and tow trucks.
Specifically, law states a driver needs to either vacate the lane closest to the vehicles stopped on the side of the road, or slow down 20 mph 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 said drivers are encouraged to show this courtesy to not only law enforcement stopped on the side of the road, but also fellow drivers.
Violators of the law could see fines of 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.
Data from last year shows that DPS issued more than 41,000 warnings and citations to drivers violating the Move Over/Slow Down law. Preliminary data this year shows approximately 7,500 warnings and citations have been issued.
I was curious after seeing this article and performed a quickly search on this website. Since January 2018 until now the DPS has conducted a move over/slow down operation at least 9 times. I must acknowledge that I agree with this law and believe that we should all move over and slow down when we see law enforcement or emergency vehicles stopped on the side of the road, however it also seems like there are many other safety related issues they could pursue with equal vigor that would improve our roadways. I would love to see the left lane as a passing lane only rule enforced, how about a greater emphasis on drivers who are driving drunk or impaired, and probably one of the things that makes our insurance the highest, lets target those who are on the road without a license or insurance and remove them from the road.
Lets see a more well rounded approach to making our roads safer!
I would love to see better stripes on the road where u can see the road at night when it raining
I couldn’t agree more, especially regarding the “passing lane only” violations!