Be Prepared for Increased Enforcement of the ‘Move Over/Slow Down’ Law in Lubbock
In case you’re wondering what the Move Over/Slow Down law is, it’s the law that states a driver must either "vacate the lane closest to the applicable vehicles stopped on the side of the road (if the road has multiple lanes traveling in the same direction), or slow down 20 mph below the speed limit (if the speed limit is below 25 mph, the drive must slow down to 5 mph)."
If you're wondering why Texas DPS is taking this so seriously and why you should too, it's because violation of the Move Over/Slow Down law is the number one cause of officer deaths.
According to Everything Lubbock, the Move Over Task Force recently monitored The Loop and pulled over 40 people in violation of the Move Over/Slow Down law in the span of only three hours, so this is definitely a huge problem.
While this law only applies to emergency vehicles, it's also encouraged to show the same courtesy to every vehicle that you see pulled over on the side of the road.
So, whether it's an emergency vehicle pulled over or a family fixing a flat, be safe and courteous and move over or slow down. It's the law, and it could save a life.