This January, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is working jointly with the Florida Highway Patrol on a campaign to bring awareness to the "Move Over" law. This means that local authorities will be focusing on making sure that Florida drivers comply with the Move Over law. It's a good idea to pay close attention to the presence of police and emergency vehicles this month to avoid a citation.
What is the Florida "Move Over" law?
The Florida "Move Over" law indicates that vehicles shall move out of the way of an emergency vehicle when lights are flashing or sirens sounding. Where do they move? To either a position next to or as close as is reasonable to the edge of the curb. They should clear intersections, and stop until the emergency vehicle has passed the car. Then the car may continue moving. If it's unsafe to stop, it's important to slow down 20 mph below the posted speed limit, unless the speed limit is below 20 mph, then the driver can slow to 5 mph.
You can read the actual statute below for full clarification on the law.
Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle, while en route to meet an existing emergency, the driver of every other vehicle shall, when such emergency vehicle is giving audible signals by siren, exhaust whistle, or other adequate device, or visible signals by the use of displayed blue or red lights, yield the right-of-way to the emergency vehicle and shall immediately proceed to a position parallel to, and as close as reasonable to the closest edge of the curb of the roadway, clear of any intersection and shall stop and remain in position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed, unless otherwise directed by a law enforcement officer.
Read the full statute here>>
Move Over Tickets in Florida
In Florida in 2021, over 14,000 citations were handed out for drivers who did not observe the "Move Over" law. The law exists to keep both emergency vehicle drivers safe and to keep drivers safe when moving around the scene of an accident.
FLHSMV Reminds Florida Drivers Of ‘Move Over’ Law
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – January is Move Over Month in the Sunshine State, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and its division of the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) are reminding all motorists of Florida’s Move Over Law to help protect law enforcement officers, first responders, and other public servants while they provide critical services in one of the most dangerous environments – the side of the roadway.
If you're a new driver in Florida, it's important to stay up to date on the laws and make sure that all your paperwork is current in the event of getting pulled over. Get your registration renewed without having to go to the DMV - visit Auto Tags of Florida or let us handle your courier services remotely.
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