Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By BRYAN HELLIOS
Wakefield — The Michigan State Police issued a legal update on its “Move Over Law” to expand the law from all emergency vehicles to now include snowplows, garbage trucks, wrecker, utility vehicles and any road maintenance vehicles that are parked stationary on the side of the road parked with flashing, rotating, or oscillating lights.
The expanded Move Over Law begins on Feb. 13 and states drivers are required to not only move over in a safe manner to an adjacent lane when one is available, but slow down to 10 mph under the speed limit. Violation of this statute is a 90-day misdemeanor with a fine up to $500.
Michigan State Community Service Trooper, Jerry Mazurek, said the law is designed to protect all workers who maintain our roads and utilities.
“They’re out here doing a job, it could be your brother, my brother, you, or any one of us who is out there on the side of the road,” he said.
Nine police cars have been completely totaled out in Michigan since the first of this year, Mazurek said. The cost of those squads and any other maintenance vehicle totaled, or damaged comes from taxpayers dollars, he added.
He asked to extend the same courtesy one would like to receive if they were experiencing car trouble for themselves.
“You would like people to slow down if you had your flashers on while on the side of the road,” he said.
Mazurek said,the area police will be enforcing this new law with zero tolerance.
“If we see you violate this law, you can be sure to expect a ticket,” he added
