New Rules for Slow Down Move Over
Prince George, B.C.- The Slow Down and Move Over regulation is about to be broadened.
Right now, the regulation requires that when a driver sees a stopped “official” vehicle with a flashing light, they are to slow down and, if possible, move to another lane to pass that stopped vehicle.
‘Official’ vehicles were classed as police, fire, ambulance, tow trucks, Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement, park rangers and conservation officer vehicles.
But there are many other workers that need to be stopped on the side of road for inspections or highway maintenance but their vehicles were not covered by the regulation.
The change to the regulation will see that the Slow Down and Move Over regulation covers all vehicles that have a flashing red, blue or yellow light. This will make it easier for drivers to know the rules of the road, as they will no longer have to check to see if the flashing light is on an “official vehicle”.
The Province says the change will make it safer for all roadside workers. So while the type of vehicle has been broadened under the change, the speed requirement has not. Drivers will still have to slow to 70km/h when in an 80km/h or over zone, and down to 40 km/h when in a zone that is under 80 km/h. The driver must move into another lane to pass where safe to so. Failing to follow the Slow down and Move Over regulation carries a $173 dollar fine and three penalty points.
The change takes effect Jan 1, 2015.
Comments
Good move.
About time
Something else for the majority of drivers to ignore.
Yea drivers still ignore it but now if they get caught ignoring the new rules they pay for it
Tow truck drivers should probably be held to a higher standard of training. I almost t-boned one last winter because he went through a red light while talking on his cell. Then he had the nerve to give me the stink eye. He’s lucky he was stopped beside a cop when I caught up to him.
Red blue or yellow light! Hmmm Princess Auto has a ton of those! Seems like a bad idea to me as anyone with a light is now special.
Good move.. However it hould also include accident and distress scenes where an “official” vehicle has not yet responded to. As a member of the public ive been the first on scene at two accidents and people still dont slow down..(even when your standing in the middle of the road assisting a rolled over vehicle..)
Hey NoWay might not be a bad thing to have your own rotating or flashing amber beacon when stopped at the side of the road to change a flat or..
metalman.
What a no brainer. And does your car not have flashers to turn on if you need to change am tire.
Cheers
One would think that they would get this right the first time around, and not have to re do the legislation. Seems the thought process of this Government is flawed.
If you falsely use an amber or blue light on your vehicle it is an automatic fine and points on your license if caught.The new law clearly defines which vehicles you are required to move over for.
Tow trucks, road and city maintenance vehicles, flag person vehicles, tow trucks, highways vehicles and slow moving vehicles to name but a few. However the Amber must be activated in order for you to move over and slow down.
followed a cop up the Hart..not long ago doing 90k in 60k…no lites on,so I gotta move over for this ahole?
Who wrote this one up….crusty? Did you all no that she takes her kid with her everywhere she goes? Who paying for this?? I bet we are!
This regulation applies to vehicles that are stopped, not ones that are moving, zyblxteu. An emergency vehicle displaying flashing red or blue lights and/or a siren, you should always pull to the nearest edge of a road when it is safe to do so and yield right of way (in both directions of traffic unless you are on a divided roadway). Working in Emergency Services, I can tell you that emergency vehicles don’t put that equipment on just for fun, it’s done at great risk to the public and to ourselves so that we can make it to the scene of an emergency more quickly.
If you see an emergency vehicle suddenly shut down it’s equipment, there was probably a good reason for that too. Often times new details may have come into the responder that allows us to downgrade our response for safety reasons, or we may have been cancelled from the call. It happens and we feel other drivers giving us dirty looks, but being able to downgrade and slow down is a good thing.
As far as this driving regulation goes for “slow down and move over”, I’m glad it is being expanded. It should be common sense and common courtesy to anticipate that a vehicle pulled over with its flashers on (“official vehicle” or not) could have people moving around the vehicle, and drivers should do the right thing and slow down. I can tell you from experience, the most dangerous part of our jobs is at the road side getting in and out of the vehicle because drivers don’t give us room to work and don’t slow down.
Posted on Friday, December 5, 2014 @ 10:12 AM by zyblxteu
followed a cop up the Hart..not long ago doing 90k in 60k…no lites on,so I gotta move over for this ahole?
Who wrote this one up….crusty? Did you all no that she takes her kid with her everywhere she goes? Who paying for this?? I bet we are!
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You didn’t actually read the article did you.
What about the garbage trucks , recycle trucks do they not get honourable mention or are their amber flashing lights exempt from this law, as the law applies to all amber , red, blue flashing lights.
Furtree you answered your own question
Does this mean the buffoons at Shaw don’t have to park their entire vehicle on the sidewalk? I don’t mean two wheels either. The gormless wonders think they have some god given right to place all four on the sidewalk, if they are working at one of their junction boxes.
Another friday wake-n-bake eh zyblx?
I am glad this is expanded, it only makes sense. And kudos to the officers that were enforcing this on the hart highway a few weeks back.
Interceptor; “Another friday wake-n-bake eh zyblx? “. Thanks, laughed my ass off, made my afternoon, still chuckling. Cheers.
Like I’m going to move over for all the idiot pickups that forgot to turn their flashing amber lights off when they left the mine site, etc!
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