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Thousands of steel and metal objects hurtling along at high speeds in often-crowded spaces, sometimes in the dark, sometimes in the rain and snow or even on ice. Oh, and by the way: they’re all carrying people.
That’s more or less what’s happening when we hit the roads in our automobiles.
In 2017, more than 1,400 people died in crashes in North Carolina and many more were injured.
It’s dangerous enough on the road as it is. Now imagine you are a law enforcement officer, emergency responder, wrecker driver or utility crew working along the shoulder of the road. Their vehicles are especially vulnerable to that mass of steel zooming by. When they step out, they’re pretty much defenseless targets.
Common sense (and common decency) says slow down and take extra caution when driving past such sites. North Carolina law now says the same thing. It’s commonly known as the “move-over” law, and requires motorists to shift over one lane, or slow down (if shifting lanes isn’t possible) when passing emergency and other public service vehicles that are stopped within 12 feet of a roadway and giving a warning sign.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen too many people regularly violating the law or hitting the horn when a driver ahead of them is obeying it. The penalties for violating the law, however, were not very harsh, especially considering the harm that could be inflicted by a careless driver (which seems to be about half the drivers out there). Fines ranged from $250 to $500.
There was an obvious need to give the law some teeth, and a new statute (which took effect Dec. 1) says that a person who violates the law and causes serious injury or death to a person working at such a site is guilty of a Class F felony, which can carry up to 59 months in prison. Violators may also have their driver’s license suspended for up to six months.
Though we hope the increased punishment gets more people to obey the law, considerate and cautious driving should always be a rule of the road.
We also should recognize the toll our actions can take on others. Think of Leah Quick, who pushed for stiffer penalties after her husband, Lumberton Police Officer Jason Quick, was struck and killed by a passing vehicle Dec. 15, 2018, while out of his patrol car investigating an accident. He was 31. The updated “move over law” is officially known as the Officer Jason Quick Act.
So when you see flashing lights, slow down and think of Jason Quick; think of Leah Quick. And think of the two young children she’s now raising on her own.
Wilmington StarNews, a Gannett publication
This article originally appeared on Times-News: Editorial: More reason to move over
