VA's Expanded Move Over Law Goes Into Effect On July 1

VIRGINIA — Virginia's expanded Move Over law will go into effect this Saturday, July 1.

The law expands roadside protections to all drivers, not just emergency vehicles. The new regulations require drivers to slow down and move over a lane if possible whenever there are flares, warning signs, or vehicles with hazard lights.

The bill was signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in March after receiving bipartisan support.

Morgan Dean is the public and government affairs manager for AAA, which has supported the expanded law.

"The danger starts the moment someone stops on the roadside," Dean said in a news release. "This change to the law helps to protect them, along with our first responders, law enforcement officers, highway maintenance crew members and tow truck operators."

In Virginia, 28 people died in crashes outside disabled vehicles from 2016 to 2020, according to AAA. The organization said 300 people die annually nationwide while leaving, working on, or returning to a vehicle stopped along a road. That number is up 25 percent since 2014.

In May, a 20-year-old airman was struck and killed on the side of Interstate 295 in Hanover County while changing a tire in the middle of the night, AAA said. The driver who struck and killed him did not stop.

Angela Hurley, 49, of Mechanicsville was killed on the roadside on Interstate 95 near Ashland last summer as she waited in her disabled vehicle for help. Police said a driver moved onto the shoulder to pass slower-moving vehicles, and struck Hurley's car, killing her. She left behind a young son.

“Angela was traveling to meet friends for lunch when her car became inoperable. She sat in her car for only a moment before being killed — the offender accelerated to 89 mph on impact. Some mornings, grief makes the weight of your skin feel like too much to lift," Latane Flanagan, sister of Angela Hurley, told AAA. Supporting this law in Angela’s honor is a silver lining. Please, slow down and move over, we want everyone to make it home to their loved ones.”

"The question now is not ‘who’ you should choose to slow down and/or move over a lane for when passing by. Instead, we need Virginians to ask, ‘What should I do as a responsible driver,'" Lt. Col. Matt Henley of Virginia State Police said in a news release. "The purpose of Virginia’s ‘Move Over’ law is simple — to create a safe zone for everyone-essential workers as they carry out their duties and for the driver experiencing an emergency on the side of the road.”

Violations of the Move Over law are punishable as a class one misdemeanor. Violators could face up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $2,500.