Photo credit: Smallman12q via Wikimedia CommonsA new law in Oregon requires drivers to move over for any vehicle stopped on the side of road that is displaying hazard lights or a distress signal.
The law takes effect January 1 and requires the driver to move to another lane away from the vehicle or reduce speed by 5 mph.
This is an expansion on Oregon’s move-over law, which had only addressed stopped emergency vehicles, roadside assistance vehicles, tow vehicles or ambulances when they are displaying warning lights, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
“The new law makes it clear that drivers have a choice to comply by either moving over or slowing down by at least 5 mph below the posted speed,” ODOT says, “and now the law applies when approaching any vehicle at the side of the road displaying hazard lights or distress signs.”
The ODOT reports that between 2011 and 2015, 167 serious crashes and eight people died in incidents in the state where a vehicle was parked on the side of the road and there was no emergency vehicle with lights on involved.
The bill states a person is not in violation of the move-over law if the stopped motor vehicle is in a designated parking area.
