Move Over Law Expands to Include All Stopped Vehicles on Highways

by M.C. Millman

On Wednesday, March 27, New York's Move Over Law will expand to include all vehicles. 

The newly expanded law is meant to improve highway safety for everyone. From 2016 to 2020, 37 individuals were killed outside disabled vehicles in New York. Nationally, nearly 300 drivers are struck and killed on the roadside every year. The Move Over Law was enacted to prevent those tragedies and make New York's roadways safer for all.

The law first became effective in 2010 to prevent collisions with emergency vehicles stopped on the roadway. Since then, it has been expanded several times to also cover hazard vehicles, highway worker vehicles, and tow trucks. 

In 2023, a new bill further strengthened the law by including this protection for all vehicles stopped on the roadway. Under the law, when a driver approaches a vehicle stopped along either shoulder of the road, they should change into a lane not immediately adjacent to the vehicle or slow down to a reasonable speed if they are unable to safely make a lane change.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, all 50 states have "Move Over" laws to protect law enforcement officers and other first responders, yet one-third of Americans are unaware of these laws.

Starting Wednesday, drivers will be required to take precautions, including slowing down and moving over, to avoid a crash with all vehicles stopped along the roadway.