KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — It just keeps happening. Paying attention is the most basic responsibility when driving, but for some reason, more drivers this year on Tennessee's interstates and highways have been crashing into stationary first responder vehicles that have their flashing lights on.
The increase in these kinds of vehicle crashes on the interstate system has first responders and other road crews worried for their safety and well-being for obvious reasons. It's gotten so bad that the Tennessee Highway Patrol is now beefing up its presence near TDOT vehicles -- and you can be sure troopers will be watching for drivers ignoring the state's Move Over Law.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation said it has had a rough few months. On Halloween, it held a press conference with THP and announced 33 of its HELP trucks had been slammed into this year while operators were responding to incidents. Five of those happened in October alone.
A few days after TDOT announced those crash numbers to highlight the growing problem -- someone crashed into a responding TDOT queue truck on I-40 near Newport.
It's not a problem isolated to TDOT. EMS, law enforcement, fire crews, tow trucks, and other agencies spend a lot of time responding to crashes on the interstates, so they are just as liable to be hit by inattentive or reckless drivers.
In July, the Knoxville Fire Department noticed a similarly alarming uptick. It said people plowed into three of its engines on the interstate over the summer.
"Fortunately, no one has been hurt or killed in these incidents. However, the potential for serious injury or death to a first responder or driver of the vehicles involved is very real," KFD said.
Their message continues to be pretty simple: Pay attention, slow down and move over. It's the law.
"My life, and the life of my colleagues here today depend on it," Major Billy Smith with THP Knoxville said.
What is the Move Over Law?
As the name suggests, the law requires drivers to move over to an adjacent lane and yield to any stopped emergency vehicles parked on the shoulder or other lanes of traffic when it's safe to do so. Along with fire trucks, EMS and law enforcement cruisers -- this law requires people to also yield to tow trucks, highway maintenance trucks, solid waste vehicles and utility trucks.
"Essentially, the law applies to any responder vehicle with audible (sirens) or visual (flashing lights) signals drivers may see on Tennessee roadways," TDOT said.
If you can't physically move over because traffic is blocking you or it's unsafe for you to do so, then you should slow down and proceed with due caution when approaching responding vehicles. Essentially: be attentive, be careful and slow down.
If you are caught violating the law, you could face a $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail for the first violation.
