An average of 60 emergency responders including tow providers are struck and killed by vehicles while working at the roadside each year – meaning 5 people in this line of work are killed, on average, every month. Nearly 1 person each day (350 annually) are struck and killed outside a disabled vehicle each year in the United States. Despite being passed in all 50 states, 71 percent of Americans are unaware of Move Over laws that require drivers to reduce their speed and switch lanes to protect these workers and in some states like Maine, motorists of disabled vehicles waiting for help to arrive
(NHTSA).
Startling data from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds that among drivers who do not comply with Move Over laws:
• 42% thought this behavior was somewhat or not dangerous at all to roadside
emergency workers.
• Among those who are aware of their state’s Move Over laws, about 15% report
not understanding the potential consequences for violating the Move Over law.
This demonstrates that drivers may not realize how risky it is for those working or
stranded along highways and roads close to moving traffic.
