Not long ago, we had a client come to meet to discuss a ticket that he got because he failed to move over for stopped police cars. This is a ticket that that can be punished by a fine of $250 (plus the costs of court, which are currently $188) The law states that if an emergency vehicle is within 12 feet of a roadway, and has its emergency lights engaged, vehicles are to move over into a lane such that they are not close to the emergency vehicle. If the driver is unable to do this because this would be unsafe, then he or she is to slow down to the point that the car could easily be stopped if necessary. Failure to do either of these will result in being pulled over. Officers who are stopped to pull someone over, may terminate the original stop, get back in their car, and chase you down.
Note that the officer, firefighters, or paramedics do not have to be outside of their vehicle for this law to apply. Even if they are safely in a vehicle, as long as the lights are going, you still must move over or slow down. So don’t try to use this excuse if you are talking with a law enforcement officer that has pulled you over.
Understandably, officers are prone to write these tickets, since their safety is threatened when this law is not followed. Even if you did not know it was against the law to fail to move over for the police, law enforcement will still write this ticket. So be informed that this offense is one that can result in a hefty fine, and points on your license and insurance. If you have already been charged with failure to move over, then you may want to consider hiring an attorney to represent you in your case. Our law firm is ready to represent your interests in court. We want to reduce the stress that you are feeling because of your traffic ticket.
