January is ‘Move Over Month’ in Florida and it has nothing to do with the elderly snowbirds hogging the left lane.
Instead, the campaign is focused on reminding drivers that they’re legally required to move into an adjacent lane when approaching stopped emergency vehicles and tow trucks when their lights are flashing. If that’s not an option, drivers are supposed to “slow to a speed that is 20 mph (32 km/h) less than the posted speed limit” or “slow down to 5 mph (8 km/h) when the posted speed limit is 20 mph (32 km/h) or less.”
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The ultimate goal is to keep people safe as numerous police officers, EMTs, tow truck drivers, and construction workers are struck and killed every year. Unfortunately, not everyone heeds these warnings and the results can be tragic.
To help showcase why moving over is so important, officials released shocking footage to local media stations. In the clip, which was reportedly filmed one or two years ago, we can see a disabled vehicle in the grassy median of a divided highway. As a dashcam records, a tow truck operator is lowering the flat bed to load the vehicle and take it away.
Things take a quick turn as an apparent Lexus RX drifts onto the shoulder and takes out a row of cones. The crossover then hits the flat bed, which acts as a ramp and sends the vehicle into a flying barrel roll. The driver luckily survived, even though the crossover reportedly traveled more than 500 feet (152 meters).