Indiana is gearing up for highway construction season as Work Zone Awareness Week wraps up. The goal is to raise awareness of both motorist and worker safety in work zones.
Indiana’s Move Over Laws are in place to protect all workers performing necessary duties on Indiana’s roadways.
Motorists are reminded to reduce their speed and increase their distance from the vehicle in front of them as soon as they see flashing emergency lights. This increases visibility and the ability to safely react to whatever situation is ahead.
If you are on a mutli-lane highway, change lanes away from the emergency vehicle if it is safe to do so. If you can’t change lanes, slow down to at least 10 miles per hour below the posted speed limit, move as far away as possible within your lane and proceed with caution. Do not stop in the road, as doing so can cause a chain reaction crash.
Motorists should watch for police vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks and rescue equipment, incident response, highway maintenance and utility service vehicles, tow and garbage trucks.
Violating the state’s Move Over Law can result in a fine and license suspension of up to two years if the driver causes damage to emergency equipment. Injuring or killing an emergency worker can lead to a prison sentence.
Drivers should also give motorists who are broken down on the side of the road ample room to safely repair their vehicles.
