Supporting the goals and ideals of a National Move Over Law Day.

Supporting the goals and ideals of a National Move Over Law Day.

Whereas the Senate wishes to recognize traffic incident management responders (as described in the Traffic Incident Management Handbook of the Federal Highway Administration), which include law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services, tow truck operators, and transportation workers;

Whereas, due to the increasingly high rate of distracted drivers on the roadway, many traffic incident management responders lose their lives while performing their duties each year;

Whereas, in 2021, 65 traffic incident management responders were killed in the United States due to roadside collisions;

Whereas the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the Department of Transportation host the Crash Responder Safety Week annually in November as a national effort to—

(1) protect traffic incident management responders who are at the scene of highway crashes; and

(2) remind the public of their responsibility to use caution when driving near roadside incidents involving traffic incident management responders;

Whereas each State has a move over law, which has correlated directly with a safer environment along the roadsides of the United States for traffic incident management responders and stranded citizens;

Whereas move over laws generally require motorists to move at least 1 lane over when there is an emergency or rescue activity taking place on the shoulder or side of the roadway, or, if unable to do so safely, to slow down and pass the scene with caution;

Whereas the Government Accountability Office report entitled “Emergency Responder Safety: States and DOT Are Implementing Actions to Reduce Roadside Crashes” (GAO–21–166) noted that State officials cite raising public awareness as the most prevalent challenge to move over laws; and

Whereas providing traffic incident management responders an enhanced opportunity to inform the motoring public about these laws is critical to the public safety: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved,