Support for The National Move-Over Initiative
Submitted by: Roadway Safety Committee
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WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is concerned with the safety of law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS and emergency medical personnel, tow operators, utility workers, and other first responders as they perform their duties on roadways; and,
WHEREAS, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted,20 over the last 10 full calendar years, 81 law enforcement officers, 16 percent of all “United States officers inadvertently killed,” were victims of struck-by-vehicle incidents, i.e., at the time of their deaths they were conducting traffic stops, roadblocks, directing traffic, assisting motorists, or were engaged in similar activities; and,
WHEREAS, 1221 of 4522 (27 percent) officers who died in vehicle incidents in 2019, were killed in vehicle struck-by incidents; and,
WHEREAS, in an effort to safeguard law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS and emergency medical personnel, tow operators, utility workers, and other first responders whose duties require them to utilize the roadside, all 50 states have enacted Move Over legislation23 that typically requires motorists to either change lanes or slow down when approaching a law enforcement or emergency services vehicle that is parked or stopped on the roadside; and,
WHEREAS, the effectiveness of this legislation in every state is compromised by motorists’ being unaware of the existence of these statutes, as is demonstrated by a 2007 national poll sponsored by the National Safety Commission24 found that 71 percent of U.S. residents had not heard of such legislation; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the IACP supports the increased enforcement and education of the motoring public on Move Over legislation.
20 Federal Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted.
21 Sullivan, 2019 ERSI Struck by Vehicles Fatalities Report.
22 Officer Down Memorial Page, “Statistics,” 2019.
23 NHTSA, “Move Over. It ’s the Law.” (fact sheet).
24 National Safety Commission, “Move Over America.”
