Michelle Robinson with the Michigan State Police says that these incidents and many others can be avoided by drivers adhering to the state’s Move Over law, which requires motorists to slow down and move over for stationary authorized vehicles with flashing, rotating or oscillating lights activated.
“So that would apply to police, fire, ambulance, rescue vehicles and even road service vehicles. If you cannot move over then, per the law, you need to go at least 10 miles below the speed limit.”
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, motor vehicle incidents are the number one cause of death for law enforcement. Robinson says that these incidents may be on the rise due to drivers trying to circumvent a new Michigan law, which went into effect last year.
“Now that we have the Hands-Free law, what we’re seeing is that a lot of individuals still want to check their emails, their text messages, and instead of having their phones in a holder of some sort, affixed to the dash or the windshield, they are putting their phones down in their lap.”
The Michigan State Police want to remind drivers that failure to follow the Move Over law could result in a fine of $400 and two points on their license.
