Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador — August 5, 2015 — The majority of motorists in Newfoundland and Labrador are refusing to make room for roadside workers, according to RCMP.
Designed to protect emergency responders, The province’s Move Over law has been in effect for over a year, but Clarenville RCMP Cst. Mike Legge told VOCM Newfoundland Radio that drivers still aren’t getting the message.
Under the law, Legge says motorists must pay mind to emergency or designated vehicles that are stopped in a lane or on the shoulder of a roadway with their lights flashing.
“People need to reduce their speed, stop if necessary and only proceed once it’s safe to do so, and we’re not getting that,” he says.
Those who disobey the law by failing to slow down and move over when approaching a parked emergency vehicle can be fined between $300 to $900 and receive four demerit points.
“It’s considered to be quite a serious offence,” Legge says. “You’re putting a lot of people’s lives at risk, we’re trying to keep people safe and we’re having trouble keeping ourselves safe.”
According to the province, designated vehicles protected under the law include police cruisers, ambulances, search and rescue vehicles, tow trucks, municipal, provincial or federal enforcement vehicles, and public utility and service vehicles.
The Move Over law has been in effect in Newfoundland and Labrador since March 10, 2014, three months after receiving Royal Assent in the House of Assembly.
To learn more, please visit servicing.gov.nl.ca/moveoverlaw.
