While conducting a routine traffic stop in St. Helen Parish on January 27th, a state trooper was struck by a passing driver and admitted to a local hospital with moderate injuries. The officer had pulled over another motorist for a traffic violation on La. 449 south of La. 37 in Greensburg when 75-year-old Johnnie Lee of Covington hit the trooper’s vehicle, which then hit the trooper. The state policeman needed surgery on Friday night for his injuries, but is expected to make a full recovery. Lee was cited for careless operation of a motor vehicle. Louisiana State Police have used to incident to remind residents of the Louisiana “move-over” laws.
What are the “Move-Over” Laws?
The Louisiana move-over laws were introduced in 2008 to clearly define the appropriate courses of action drivers are legally required to take when being approached by or passing by emergency vehicles and first responders. If you are being approached by an emergency vehicle, you must first yield the right-of-way, drive to a position parallel to and close to the right-hand edge of the road or highway, and stop and remain where you are until the emergency vehicle has passed. If you are passing an emergency vehicle parked on the side of the road, you must yield the right-of-way, change lanes to move your vehicle as far away from the emergency vehicle as possible (if the road has two or more lanes running in the same direction), or slow down to a reasonable speed if a lane change is not feasible. Though the laws originally called for drivers to slow to 25 miles per hour, the legislation has been amended to a “reasonable speed” based on the driving conditions and circumstances. Violators of the move-over laws are subject to fines up to $200. If you feel that you’ve been wrongfully fined for a move-over violation or charged with reckless operation of a vehicle, please contact Bloom Legal today for a free consultation: 1-504-599-9997.
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