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California’s move over law was put in place (and very recently modified) in reaction to the high number of roadside work zone fatalities. Abiding by this rule is important for public safety and, at the same time, can help you avoid hefty violation fines and a possible license suspension.

Luckily, the Golden State’s move over law is simple and straightforward. Once you understand what it entails and how it protects roadside workers, you can follow certain precautionary tips that keep your driving legal and safe.

The Law

In a few words, California’s move over law requires drivers to switch lanes or, if this is “unsafe or impracticable”, slow down whenever they see a vehicle flashing its emergency or amber lights, such as a police car or tow truck.

To clarify, drivers should move to another lane or slow down when they come across the following “stationery” (which means not moving) cars:

• An “authorized emergency vehicle that is displaying emergency lights”
• A “tow truck that is displaying flashing amber warning lights”
• A “Department of Transportation vehicle that is displaying flashing amber warning lights”

You should learn to recognize what these flashing lights look like to ensure that you remain compliant with the law.

Penalties for Not Moving Over

Drivers that don’t abide by California’s move over laws could receive a fine that’s as high as $1,000. Furthermore, points are added to the violator’s driving record.

Those who accumulate a certain number of points may get their license suspended. Therefore, if you already have points, you should be extra careful about complying with the move over law.

Is the law applicable on the highway or streets?

Up until recently, the law only covered emergency, tow truck, and Department of Transportation vehicles that were flashing their lights on highways and freeways.

However, there were some new changes to the law, and it now also applies to streets.

Nonetheless, if you were driving on a street or highway and saw an emergency vehicle or tow truck flashing its lights on another road that is “separated […] by a protective physical barrier”, you don’t need to abide by the move over rules.

Statistics

Move over laws were put into place out of a concern for the safety of emergency responders and construction workers. To illustrate, here are some statistics that underline how important this is:

• Across the U.S., vehicles hit and killed 44 emergency responders that were working on the side of the road during 2019.
• Every year, dozens of roadside construction and maintenance workers die as a result of being struck by a car.
• According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of the roadside work zone fatalities that took place between 2011 and 2017 were caused by cars that hit the workers.
• Over the last 40 years, an average of 773 construction and maintenance workers died per year from work zone crashes.
• Construction laborers and equipment operators, their supervisors, tractor and heavy trailer drivers, and highway maintenance workers accounted for more than two-thirds (67%) of work zone deaths from 2003 to 2017.

Simply put, these statistics highlight how crucial it is for drivers to stay cautious, move lanes, and/or slow down when they pass by a construction zone or stationary emergency vehicle.

Tips to Prevent Roadside Injuries

The following precautions can help you avoid the type of roadside crashes and injuries that we outlined above:

• Remain alert
• Scan the road or highway ahead of you
• Recognize and pay attention to amber lights
• Don’t tailgate the car that’s in front of you
• When moving to another lane isn’t possible, slow down as you drive by a work zone
• Be aware of road conditions, including the weather, traffic, and construction/maintenance projects

In addition to minimizing the chances of getting involved in a roadside work zone accident, the above tips will keep you compliant with California’s move over law.

Bear in mind that a violation could land you a $1,000 fine and potentially cause your license to get suspended. Consequently, you should stay alert while driving on both roads and highways.

Doing so will ensure that you abide by the law and, perhaps more importantly, potentially save a roadside worker’s life.