The focus for this month’s traffic reminder is the State of New Hampshire’s “Move Over" Law.

Emergency personnel such as police, fire, EMS, and tow truck operators are still coming into contact with drivers that will not move over or slow down while they are conducting operations on the road side.

As a reminder to everyone, you must vacate the lane of travel next to an emergency vehicle as it displays its emergency lights if it is safe to do so.  If you cannot move over, you must maintain a reduced speed so that you could stop if that emergency worker entered the roadway.

Section 265:37-a Motorist Duties When Approaching Highway Emergencies. – When in or approaching an incident involving a fire, collision, disaster, or other emergency resulting in partial or complete blockage of a highway, or a location where a police officer has made a traffic stop, every driver other than the driver of an emergency response vehicle, shall:

I. Maintain a reduced speed.
II. Obey the directions of any authorized person directing traffic and of all applicable emergency signals and traffic control devices.
III. Vacate as soon as possible any lane wholly or partially blocked.
IV. Give a wide berth, without endangering oncoming traffic, to public safety personnel, any persons in the roadway, and stationary vehicles displaying blue, red, or amber emergency or warning lights.

As a result of this, the Division of State Police will be stepping up its enforcement efforts in an attempt to educate the public and promote safe operations on our highways.