In British Columbia, there is a legal requirement to slow down when an emergency vehicle is approaching or where road construction crews are at work – but beyond that, there is also the matter of common sense.
Unfortunately, the first province-wide Slow Down and Move Over campaign during the month of April, provided some concerning results. Nearly 1,000 drivers on British Columbia roads were recently ticketed for failing to observe their very basic rules of the road. That number is worrying – it’s up to all of us to keep our roads safe and allow emergency and construction crews to complete their work safely and promptly.
The Slow Down and Move Over Campaign promotes a law that keeps emergency responders and construction and maintenance workers safe while they work at the side of BC roads.
There were some hot spots across the province, with 619 of the $173 tickets being handed out in Central BC, which included Merritt, Kelowna, Kamloops, and Clearwater. Another 197 tickets were given in the Kootenay Region, in places such as Revelstoke, Nelson, Cranbrook and Golden. While these areas saw the highest number of tickets – Northern BC, Vancouver Island, and South Coast communities were also involved in this campaign, including violations in Metro Vancouver.
The Slow Down and Move Over law can be summarized by the 70/40 rule; when the speed limit is 80 km/h or higher, you must slow down to 70 km/h or less, and if the normal speed limit is below 80 km/h, you must slow down to 40 km/h or less while moving into the furthest, safe lane of traffic away from the stopped vehicles with flashing red, blue or amber lights.
New car and truck dealers across the province are deeply connected to the communities they serve and that includes a shared responsibility for safer roads. BC dealers help place safe, reliable vehicles in drivers’ hands – but safety doesn’t stop at the dealership, it continues with every choice made behind the wheel.
These behind the wheel decisions should not be taken lightly as emergency crews and roadside workers rely on these decisions to prevent serious injury and protect their lives. That’s why BC dealers are committed to promoting road safety and awareness around issues like slowing down and moving over to ensure our community and roads remain safe.
Even one ticket for this violation is too many as each time you slow down and move over, you are saving lives. This is just one of the many roadside safety rules and laws that need to be followed to ensure we are sharing our roads as safely as possible so that each driver can get from point A to point B safely.
Let’s keep our emergency crews and roadside workers safe by continuing to make smart decisions behind the wheel and always slowing down and moving over when we see stopped vehicles with flashing red, blue, or amber lights.
Blair Qualey is President and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of BC. He can be reached at [email protected]
