At the beginning of 2014, the Florida Highway Patrol launched a month-long initiative to educate drivers about the state's "Move Over" law. The director of the Florida Highway Patrol told CBS Miami that the law went into effect in 2002 as a way to make the job of Florida law enforcement officers safer. When a police car, emergency vehicle or tow truck is on the shoulder of a road with their lights flashing, the "Move Over" law requires you to be at least one lane away from the vehicle.
If a driver is unable to move over in a safe manner, they should slow down their driving speed to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit for the area. In the past 15 years, more than 200 law enforcement officials have died and thousands were injured across the country because they were struck while on the side of the road as part of their job, CBS Miami reported.
The Move Over law is an attempt to reduce the chance of that happening in our state. The violations drivers face for violating the law, according to CBS Miami, are significant fines, court fees and the addition of 3 points to their driver's license. More than 1,200 citations for the law were issued during the last month-long awareness campaign in 2012, the article claimed.
Charged with a traffic offense? We can help.
If you are found to be in violation of the "Move Over" law, the St. Augustine traffic offense lawyers at our firm can help you challenge your citation. At Taylor & Waldrop, we fight on behalf of Floridians and try to help them avoid the consequences of a traffic conviction, including fines and points on their driving record. Under state law, any traffic conviction or ticket you plead guilty to becomes a permanent point on your driving record.
Once you get enough points, your license can be temporarily revoked or suspended, and the length of suspension depends on the number of points you have. Our attorneys handle other traffic violations including DUIs, driving with a revoked or suspended license, and hit and run offenses. We happily provide consultations for traffic offense cases, so contact us today.