New York state snuck in this new law over the holiday break- Some other states have it, and it actually makes a lot of sense. The Ambrose Searles Act, AKA, the “move over act” states that drivers must move over when an emergency vehicle is in an adjacent lane, and use due care. What this means:
When you are approaching a police car or ambulance with lights flashing on the shoulder, you must get out of the right lane. It also means that on a three lane road, you have to be out of the adjacent lane; So if there is an ambulance in the left lane on a three lane road, you have to be in the extreme right.
This is a great law to support, to make it safer for the law enforcement and emergency responders working on the roads, and if it saves even one life, it is totally worth it.
However lets be realistic, we live in Metro NY, and most times, a one-lane buffer is not a possibility. If you get snagged for not obeying this law, you must prove that there was no way to move over safely. But the law also says you must slow down, which you can’t talk your way out of not doing.
See below for the text copy and link to the law from State Troopers.
NEW YORK STATE LAW:
Ambrose-Searles 'Move Over Act'
Protects law enforcement officers and emergency workers stopped along roadways while performing their duties.
- Drivers must use due care when approaching an emergency vehicle that displays red and/or white emergency lighting.
- On all roads and highways, drivers must reduce speed;
- On Parkways and other controlled access highways with multiple lanes, drivers must move from the lane immediately adjacent to the emergency vehicle, unless traffic or other hazards exist to prevent doing so safely.
http://www.troopers.state.ny.us/Public_Information/2010_News_Releases/12-15-10_Drivers_Beware_Ambrose-Searles_Move_Over_Act_to_Begin_January_1st_2011.cfm
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