WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Marathon County’s Highway Department is joining with others across the country to raise awareness for “move over” laws.
Highway Commissioner James Griesbach says that means providing a one-lane buffer when possible as you approach any service vehicle working on the side of a road with its lights on.
“If you see a [law enforcement] squad car, an ambulance, fire truck, a wrecker- anything on the side of the road with some lights flashing, slow down,” said Griesbach. “Give those people some room to work. Their goal is just like everyone else’s, to go home to their family and loved ones.”
Wisconsin’s move over law states that drivers must provide a full lane buffer when traveling on a multi-lane highway. If you can’t move over for the service vehicle, Griesbach says your next best option is to slow down as traffic allows. “If you have traffic that’s lined up behind you, you’ll have to use your own judgment. But if you could slow down 10, 20 MPH- anything you can slow down to is appreciated.”
He says the day also serves as a reminder to stay attentive behind the wheel. Often emergency or service vehicles can be operating with little to no warning. “You never know when a squad [car] or ambulance could be working. And with highway workers, we don’t always mark where we are working. If there’s just a pothole that they need to fill or pulling an animal off the road, we don’t put up signs.”
Griesbach says drivers should also note that they will see more green lights this winter on highway maintenance vehicles. Those are designed to make plows easier to spot. Red and blue lights are reserved for police and state patrol vehicles, and other vehicles working on the side of the road may have amber lights.
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