Expanded ‘Move-Over’ Law takes effect July 1: How to avoid getting a ticket

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A record number of drivers are expected to hit the roads this upcoming holiday weekend, but a major law change could put you at risk of getting a traffic ticket.

Beginning July 1, all drivers must move over a lane or slow down for all cars on the shoulder with hazards on, not just emergency vehicles.

If you can’t switch lanes, the law requires you to at least proceed with caution and slow down.

Police and neighbors alike hope this significant change will help save lives.

For Melanie Clark, the widow of Lt. Brad Clark, moving over on the roadway means more than just a simple lane change.

She says it’s the difference between life and death.

“When a loved one is lost to something that could have been prevented, I think it just adds another layer of difficulty, and it’s hard to accept,” Clark said.

The loss of her husband, Brad, a Hanover firefighter, provides a chilling reminder of the grave consequences if drivers don’t move over and pay attention.

In 2018, Brad was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer driver while responding to a single motor vehicle accident on Interstate 295 during Tropical Storm Michael.

Despite her grief, Melanie became an advocate and worked with lawmakers to push for change.

Now, if you don’t move over for emergency vehicles on the shoulder, it is considered a Class 1 Misdemeanor, and if convicted, you could face jail time.

“We’re hoping that we can educate the motorists and to ask them to picture it be their family that might have an emergency on the side of the road, or it’s their family member that’s a firefighter or police officer working on the scene of an emergency,” Clark said.

Sadly, Melanie’s story is not uncommon.

“Between 2016 and 2020, 28 people died on Virginia roadways while outside of a disabled vehicle,” AAA Mid-Atlantic Spokesperson Morgan Dean said. “Nationwide, each and every year, between 300 and 350 people die on the roadsides.”

A similar tragedy, including the sisters of Angela Hurley, has touched many other families.

Hurley was inside her broken-down car on the side of I-95 when police say she was hit by a drunk driver going more than 80 miles per hour.

“We want Angela back, and we can’t get her back, so what can we do to keep her memory alive and honor her?” Hurley’s younger sister Alexis Wells said.

Now, her sisters say this amended move-over law will help save lives by protecting all drivers, not just emergency vehicles.

“This is a silver lining in the tragedy, and court dates, and funerals, and all the things that go along with someone’s untimely passing, and so it meant a lot to see a change come from it,” Hurley’s sister Latane Flanagan said.

If you don’t slow down or move over for an average car, it is considered a primary offense, and you could get a $250 traffic ticket.