OPP blitz targets drivers who don’t move over for emergency vehicles

Ontario Provincial Police say they will be launching a campaign that will target drivers who do not slow down and move over when approaching an emergency vehicle with its lights flashing.

OPP say they have charged 932 drivers so far this year who failed to move over and more than 2,100 last year. Drivers can face a $400 to $2,000 fine plus three demerit points upon conviction.

The law was amended in 2015 to include tow truck parked on the side of the road with their amber lights flashing.

“Any driver who has had to pull over to the roadside of a busy highway or road knows how unnerving and unsafe it feels to see traffic clipping by at close proximity. We need all drivers to be mindful of this when they see police, other emergency personnel and tow truck drivers on the roadside carrying out their public safety duties. Slowing down and moving over for emergency vehicles if safe to do so will help reduce the number of these preventable collisions and allow those who provide help at the roadside to do their jobs safely”, said OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair in a news release.

In 2017, there were six incidents in which an OPP vehicle was stopped or parked on the roadside and was struck from behind while its emergency lights were on.

The ‘Move Over Campaign’ will begin Aug. 3 until Aug. 6.

Media conference #SlowDownMoveOver https://t.co/P5FSZ2emwY

— Sgt Kerry Schmidt (@OPP_HSD) August 2, 2018