Ontario Provincial Police are reminding drivers to “move it on over” to help protect first-responders.
From Feb. 13 to 16, officers in the OPP’s Western Region will conduct a “move over” enforcement campaign focusing on drivers who don’t slow down and move over for emergency vehicles parked on the side of the highway with their lights activated.
Ontario’s Move Over law stipulates that if a driver is travelling along a roadway with two or more lanes, that driver must move over for the parked vehicle if it is safe to do so. If the roadway only has one lane in each direction, the driver is required to slow down and proceed with caution as they pass the parked emergency vehicle.
Since 1989, five OPP officers have been killed in the line of duty on the roadside when they and/or their vehicles were hit by approaching vehicles.
Failure to adhere to Ontario’s Move Over law carries a $490 to $2,000 fine plus three demerit points on conviction. Subsequent offences carry a $1,000 to $4,000 fine and the possibility of up to six months jail time.
As well, the individual’s driver’s licence can be suspended for up to two years.
