Law requires AZ drivers to "move over"
Posted: Jul 20, 2011 5:57 AM
Updated: Jul 20, 2011 7:06 AM
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TUCSON - Drivers, listen up. Before you head out the door you will want to know about changes to the rules of the road in Arizona starting today.
You now have to "move over" for any vehicle stopped on a four-lane highway when warning lights are flashing. Previously, the law only required drivers to "move over" for emergency vehicles.
Now, if it is safe to make the move, you must get into the next lane. If not, you are required to slow down and proceed with caution.
For Arizona's roadside workers, the change is considered a lifesaving measure.
Working with AAA Roadside Assistance, Doug Hudson has had too many close calls.
"What I mean by close is I'm right alongside the fog line and they are within a foot of me," said Hudson, Team Lead Driver for the Tucson Fleet.
Until now, there was little stopping drivers from getting right up next to Hudson as he changed tires along a very busy I-10.
"It can get scary. If a truck goes by, the wind blast alone can knock you off balance so you have to stay on your toes all the time," Hudson said.
The revised "Move Over Law" is giving Hudson a little relief.
"It's going to make it safer for me to do my job. It's going to make it safer for you as a passenger or a user of the highways," Hudson said.
Since 2006 at least three tow truck drivers have been killed working in Arizona.
Richard Graves, the Maintenance Manager at Hayden Towing, was injured in December helping tow a car in Scottsdale.
"The person in the left lane made a lane change and hit the person in their blind spot, and they ultimately ended up crushing me against the side of the bed," Graves said.
Wheelchair bound for a month, Graves is now walking again but says he is lucky to be alive. He is hoping the new "Move Over Law" will make his workplace a safer one.
"It's very scary being a tow truck driver on the side of the highway or on the side of any road and without that courtesy it makes our job ultimately that much more dangerous," Graves said.
Fines for violating the law vary depending on the jurisdiction. In Pima County, the citation costs $148. Within Tucson City limits, it will cost $243.
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This definitely rates about a 9.0 on my weird-sh*t-o-meter.
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