(WWJ) Authorities are hoping video of a dramatic highway crash in Southwest Michigan will draw attention to the importance of moving over for emergency vehicle.
In a tweet shared Tuesday, @MspSouthwestMI wrote: "Some may ask what’s the big deal about the “Move Over Law”… the state law designed to protect emergency vehicles/responders. This video sums it up in 10 seconds."
The footage, captured on a large truck's dash cam on April 8, shows a truck quickly approaching an MSP SUV which is stopped in the left-hand lane of a two-lane highway, with flares set up behind it and lights flashing.
The truck — which was traveling 74 miles per hour, according to MSP — does now slow down and does not move over, slamming into the back of the police car. The truck then rolls over in the median, and the video ends.
Both vehicles were wrecked, but, fortunately, no one was killed.
"Yes, the Paw Paw trooper survived but it was nothing short of a miracle!" police added.
The Emergency Vehicle Caution Law (better known as the Move Over Law) — signed by then-Gov. Rick Snyder in 2018 and expanded in 2019 — mandates that drivers slow to 10 mph below the posted speed limit; and, if possible, move over a lane when passing a police, fire, ambulance, maintenance or utility vehicle, including tow trucks and garbage trucks, on the side of the road with their lights flashing.
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Drivers caught breaking the law could be fined up to $400. Get more details.
The "Move Over Law" replaced a past requirement that drivers proceed with caution and move over when passing only police and other emergency vehicles, with violators facing fines and fees of approximately $150.