Under the Move Over law, a driver must move over to another lane (if on a four-lane or more highway) when approaching an emergency vehicle, tow truck or roadside assistance vehicle that is stopped and displaying its emergency warning lights. If the driver cannot safely move over, she must slow down to a speed that is at least 5 miles per hour BELOW the posted speed of the roadway. HB 2040 enhanced the law to increase safety on Oregon's roadways by adding vehicles to the list of "emergency vehicles" that require drivers to move over. It also defines what "slow down" means when it's unsafe to move over. The bill went into effect January 1, 2010.
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The Move Over Law - Oregon Text- Amended January 2010
ORS 811.147
The law specifies the following:
811.147 Section I. is amended to read:
As used in this section, "roadside assistance vehicle means a vehicle with warning lights that responds to requests for repair assistance from motorists with disabled vehicles".
(1) A person operating a motor vehicle commits the offense of failure to maintain a safe distance from an emergency vehicle, roadside assistance vehicle, tow vehicle or ambulance if the person approaches an emergency vehicle, roadside assistance vehicle, tow vehicle or ambulance that is stopped and is displaying required warning lights and the person:
(a) On a highway having two or more lanes for traffic in a single direction, fails to:
(A) Make a lane change to a lane not adjacent to that of the emergency vehicle, roadside
assistance vehicle, tow vehicle or ambulance; or
(B) Reduce the speed of the motor vehicle to a speed that is at least 5 miles per hour under the posted speed, if making a lane change is unsafe.
(b) On a two directional, two-lane highway, fails to reduce the speed of the motor vehicle, to a speed that is at least five miles per hour under the posted speed limit.
(2) The offense described in this section, failure to maintain a safe distance from an emergency vehicle, roadside assistance vehicle, tow vehicle, or ambulance, is a Class B traffic violation. [2003 c.42 §2]
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