Motorist alert: Iowa's 'Move Over' law expanding

William Petroski | The Des Moines Register

Show Caption Hide Caption RAW VIDEO: Johnson County deputies have close call with motorist Video released by Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek shows how emergency officials working the scene of an accident are nearly hit by a car along Interstate 80 in Iowa.

Move over and slow down. That's been a longstanding safety slogan on Iowa's roads, but state officials are worried many motorists are ignoring it.

The law that requires drivers to change lanes, if possible (or slow down if it's not), when approaching stationary emergency vehicles was broadened by the 2017 Iowa Legislature to include utility trucks, as well as garbage and recycling trucks that have safety lights flashing.

The changes don't take effect until July 1, but Iowa safety officials are urging travelers to start implementing the additional provisions immediately to reduce traffic crashes and save lives.

"This is for people who have no protection at all. It is something that should really be done whether there is a law or not. Give them plenty of room," said Dennis Kleen, a safety planner for the Iowa Department of Transportation.

The new Iowa legislation covers a broad list of utility vehicles operated by public agencies and private companies. This includes trucks working for electric, natural gas, water, telephone, cable and certain other businesses and agencies. It also applies to workers in the waste and recycling industries.

"Move Over" laws are in effect in all 50 states, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But in 2015, 52 law enforcement officers were killed in traffic-related incidents in the line of duty — a 13 percent increase from 2013, federal officials said. Some deaths could have been prevented with better compliance with traffic safety laws, officials believe.

The fine for breaking the Iowa law is $100, plus court costs. In 2016 there were 363 convictions in Iowa for violating this code section, Iowa DOT officials said.

"Emergency personnel can only do so much to keep themselves safe when they pull over on the side of the road. The rest of the responsibility falls on other motorists," said Susan DeCourcy, a regional administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Kansas City, Mo.

Traffic safety professionals from Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas issued a joint statement in May expressing concern about a lack of compliance with Move Over laws. They said motorists are increasing risks by driving by and ignoring the flashing lights, adding that moving over is not just an optional courtesy, but a requirement.

The first "Move Over" law was introduced in South Carolina in 1996 following the death of a paramedic who was struck at a crash scene. In 2012, Hawaii was the final state to enact such a law.

The original Iowa law, enacted in 2002, was intended to improve safety for law enforcement vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles, as well as tow trucks and highway maintenance trucks.

Justin Foss, a spokesman in Cedar Rapids for Alliant Energy, which serves Iowa electric and natural gas customers, said his company welcomes the state law's expansion.

"This recognizes that there are more folks who work in the right of way than just law enforcement and tow services," Foss said. "The last thing our crews need to worry about when they are working on a live power line that could electrocute them is a driver killing them when they are not paying attention."

Shannon Meister, president of the Iowa Recycling Association, said collection workers are at risk every day: “We hope this law increases awareness of those dangers and encourages drivers to slow down and use caution when encountering waste and recycling vehicles on the road.”

The perils of roadside responsibilities for law enforcement officers were captured in a March 2014 dash-camera video from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. The video shows sheriff's deputies and an Iowa State Patrol trooper investigating a previous crash on Interstate Highway 80 near Oxford in eastern Iowa. Suddenly a semitrailer truck rear-ended a pickup truck, sending it flying between the sheriff 's deputy's vehicle and a State Patrol car.

The incident happened even though the crash scene was full of vehicles and flashing emergency lights. No one was seriously hurt, although the trooper was taken to a hospital for treatment and the two deputies narrowly escaped death as the pickup flew past them. The semitrailer driver was ticketed for failure to maintain control.