OT Flashing Lights just to let you know spreading the word

http://www.moveoveramerica.com/

New Law: If a patrol car is pulled over to the side of the road
with their lights flashing, you have to move to the next lane
(away from the stopped vehicle) or slow down by 20 mph.......
Every state except Hawaii and Maryland and the D.C. has this law.
In California, the "Move-over" law become operative on January 1, 2010.

My son got a ticket on Pleasant Hill coming back from Wal-Mart.
A Duluth police car (turned out it was 2 police cars) was on the side
of the road giving a ticket to someone else. My son slowed down to
pass but did not move into the other lane. The second police car
immediately pulled him over and gave him a ticket.

My son and I had never heard of the law. It is a fairly new law that
states if any emergency vehicle is on the side of the road with its
lights flashing, if you are able, you are to move into the next lane.
The cost of the ticket was $754, with 3 points on your license and
a mandatory court appearance.

Please let everyone you know that drives about this new law.

or slow down by 20 mph.......

I thought it was slow down TO 20mph (not by 20 mph). By the way I'm a UK
resident and I know that law exists!

In article ,
* Still Just Me * wrote:

On Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:34:08 -0800,
wrote:

My son and I had never heard of the law. It is a fairly new law that
states if any emergency vehicle is on the side of the road with its
lights flashing, if you are able, you are to move into the next
lane. The cost of the ticket was $754, with 3 points on your license
and a mandatory court appearance.

When the law was passed and signed in Minnesota, it got a fair amount of
publicity. Look at it this way, you are helping to shore up Minnesota's
crumbling state budget after 12 years of misleadership.

Maybe traffic violation fines should be proportional to income as is
done in some countries.

Please let everyone you know that drives about this new law.

It's too bad we need laws (and civil penalties, and a waste of a
court's valuable resources) to stir common sense in drivers. It's
also a shame that judges don't show common sense either.

As Socrates pointed out a few centuries ago, the trouble with common
sense is that it's not very common.

--
"I wear the cheese, it does not wear me."

On Feb 14, 9:17*pm, Tim McNamara wrote:


As Socrates pointed out a few centuries ago, the trouble with common
sense is that it's not very common.

Amazing that the wordplay worked in ancient Greek!

- Frank Krygowski

On Feb 15, 1:18*pm, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Feb 14, 9:17*pm, Tim McNamara wrote:



As Socrates pointed out a few centuries ago, the trouble with common
sense is that it's not very common.

Amazing that the wordplay worked in ancient Greek!

- Frank Krygowski

I'm still amazed So-crates knew about traffic laws.

On Feb 14, 10:09*am, "Graham Harrison"
wrote:
or slow down by 20 mph.......

I thought it was slow down TO 20mph (not by 20 mph). * By the way I'm a UK
resident and I know that law exists!

In VA at least, it's "by 20 MPH." Imagine the carnage that would
result if someone tried to slow to 20 MPH on an Interstate or other
highway! (in heavy traffic areas, it is not always possible to move
over without cutting off another driver.)

nate

On Feb 16, 7:24*am, N8N wrote:
On Feb 14, 10:09*am, "Graham Harrison"

wrote:
or slow down by 20 mph.......

I thought it was slow down TO 20mph (not by 20 mph). * By the way I'm a UK
resident and I know that law exists!

In VA at least, it's "by 20 MPH." *Imagine the carnage that would
result if someone tried to slow to 20 MPH on an Interstate or other
highway!

Happens all the time - no carnage necessary. All too often the
*reason* it happens is people gawking at the carnage caused by
"motoring enthusiasts" and their contempt for speed limits.

On Feb 16, 11:43*am, Dan O wrote:
On Feb 16, 7:24*am, N8N wrote:

On Feb 14, 10:09*am, "Graham Harrison"

wrote:
or slow down by 20 mph.......

I thought it was slow down TO 20mph (not by 20 mph). * By the way I'm a UK
resident and I know that law exists!

In VA at least, it's "by 20 MPH." *Imagine the carnage that would
result if someone tried to slow to 20 MPH on an Interstate or other
highway!

Happens all the time - no carnage necessary. *All too often the
*reason* it happens is people gawking at the carnage caused by
"motoring enthusiasts" and their contempt for speed limits.

I got sick of gawkers when I was working ambulance. One guy
practically climbed under a car with me to see a dead pedestrian hung
up on a transmission. I had the cops arrest the guy -- God knows for
what, but I'm sure they trumped up some charge. They hated gawkers,
too. Some of those people were freaks who needed psychiatric
attention.

By the way, here is the Oregon statute:

811.147 Failure to maintain safe distance from emergency vehicle,
roadside assistance vehicle, tow vehicle or ambulance; penalty. (1) As
used in this section, “roadside assistance vehicle” means a vehicle
with warning lights that responds to requests for repair assistance
from motorists with disabled vehicles.

(2) A person operating a motor vehicle commits the offense of
failure to maintain a safe distance from an emergency vehicle,
roadside assistance vehicle, tow vehicle or ambulance if the person
approaches an emergency vehicle, roadside assistance vehicle, tow
vehicle or ambulance that is stopped and is displaying required
warning lights and the person:

(a) On a highway having two or more lanes for traffic in a
single direction, fails to:

(A) Make a lane change to a lane not adjacent to that of the
emergency vehicle, roadside assistance vehicle, tow vehicle or
ambulance; or

(B) Reduce the speed of the motor vehicle to a speed that is at
least five miles per hour under the posted speed limit, if making a
lane change is unsafe.

(b) On a two directional, two-lane highway, fails to reduce the
speed of the motor vehicle to a speed that is at least five miles per
hour under the posted speed limit.

(3) The offense described in this section, failure to maintain a
safe distance from an emergency vehicle, roadside assistance vehicle,
tow vehicle or ambulance, is a Class B traffic violation. [2003 c.42
§2; 2009 c.198 §1]

On Feb 16, 6:17*pm, * Still Just Me *
wrote:
On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:28:31 -0800 (PST), Jay Beattie

wrote:
I got sick of gawkers when I was working ambulance. One guy
practically climbed under a car with me to see a dead pedestrian hung
up on a transmission. *I had the cops arrest the guy -- God knows for
what, but I'm sure they trumped up some charge. They hated gawkers,
too. Some of those people were freaks who needed psychiatric
attention.

All those rubber neckers need to get head help. Throw them in group
classes with anyone who watches any daytime talk show or any reality
show and especially anyone who watches "Cops".

Funny story you could appreciate: A buddy of mine worked for the fire
department. There was a bad highway accident, with a turnover, lone
driver dead. *The police had already arrived and covered the car with
a tarp as is their policy when there's a fatality. After over an hour
of tending to the rest of the accident, the police drafted my smallish
buddy to climb under the car and help extract the body before they
tried to move the wreck. My buddy climbs under and the driver says to
him "hey man, you gonna get me out of here now?".

At least it was a happy ending -- I could imagine a lot of not so
happy endings to that scenario. This is the problem with cops
declaring people dead.

The CHP typically declared people alive (rather than dead) so we would
have to transport the bodies, and they would not have to shut down the
highway for a coroner's investigation. It was all about keeping
traffic flowing. -- Jay Beattie.

wrote:
http://www.moveoveramerica.com/

New Law: If a patrol car is pulled over to the side of the road
with their lights flashing, you have to move to the next lane
(away from the stopped vehicle) or slow down by 20 mph.......
Every state except Hawaii and Maryland and the D.C. has this law.
In California, the "Move-over" law become operative on January 1, 2010.

My son got a ticket on Pleasant Hill coming back from Wal-Mart.
A Duluth police car (turned out it was 2 police cars) was on the side
of the road giving a ticket to someone else. My son slowed down to
pass but did not move into the other lane. The second police car
immediately pulled him over and gave him a ticket.

My son and I had never heard of the law. It is a fairly new law that
states if any emergency vehicle is on the side of the road with its
lights flashing, if you are able, you are to move into the next lane.
The cost of the ticket was $754, with 3 points on your license and
a mandatory court appearance.

Please let everyone you know that drives about this new law.




Why wouldn't you move over &/or slow down in these circumstances? It
shouldn't really take a law.