Our first responders are mothers, fathers, and friends trying to help others and get home safely to their families.
These responders face real danger every day, and we want to educate the public on simple actions they can take to keep them safe.
Utah's Move Over Law requires drivers to slow down and change lanes when approaching stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights.
When you see flashing lights, slow down and move over. Give the responders as much room as you can.
A driver who violates Utah's Move Over law could potentially be cited for the infraction, resulting in a $160 fine.
It isn't just crashes that you should slow down and move over for. It can be:
- UDOT maintenance vehicles working alongside the highway
- Incident Management truck assisting a motorist
- Tow truck picking up a vehicle from the shoulder
- Trooper on a traffic stop
- Even a civilian fixing a flat tire
These risks exist year-round. Research shows that the winter months have the highest number of crash responder incidents.
In these challenging conditions, the top driver errors in these crashes are "too fast for conditions" and "failure to yield" to the flashing lights.
Distractions can also be a key contributor to these incidents. It is important for drivers to pay attention to their driving, not to what is happening at a traffic scene as they approach.
You can learn more here.
