The “move over” law protects emergency responders and maintenance workers like this flagman at the Highway 61 road reconstruction in Tofte.
The Minnesota State Patrol and MNDOT recently posted signs along I35 in Duluth reminding drivers to “move over” when they are approaching emergency or maintenance vehicles doing their job along the roadways.
The Move Over Law, also known as the Ted Foss law, was enacted after Minnesota State Trooper Ted Foss was killed on August 31, 2000 on I90 in southern Minnesota. Foss had stopped a mini-van for speeding and was talking to the occupants when a semi-truck veered off of the roadway, striking Foss’s squad car along with the mini-van and the trooper. Officer Foss was dead at the scene.
The law requires drivers to move a complete lane away and slow down when approaching emergency or maintenance vehicles along the roadways, according to Sgt. Mark Baker of the Minnesota State Patrol. Sgt. Baker says, “The law only applies when you are on a road which has two or more lanes traveling in the same direction. If it is not safe to move over you do not have to, but you still need to slow down.”
“Recent crashes with squad cars and MNDOT vehicles, along with this being the anniversary of Foss’s death, should be a reminder to the public about the dangers we face every day in our jobs” states Sgt. Baker. “We have had several vehicles hit and near misses as well as volunteer firefighter Kim Granholm from Esko, killed by a vehicle on I35 while doing his job on July 1, 2002
If the current trend continues, 2009 will be the 12th year in a row in which more officers are killed in traffic related incidents than die from any other cause in the line of duty.
Violation of this law in Minnesota is a petty misdemeanor and carries a fine of $135 in St. Louis County.
Leave a Reply