New York State Police Focusing on Enforcement of “Move Over” and Distracted Driving Laws

April 15, 2013

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has named this week “National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week” and declared April “Distracted Driving Awareness Month.” In an effort to help prevent a Car Accident from occurring and to educate the public on these dangers, the New York State Police (NYSP) will be focusing efforts on stopping drivers failing to obey the state’s “Move Over” law.

New York’s “Move Over” law was enacted this past year and is punishable by up to 15 years in jail, three points on a driver’s license, along with fines and court costs of more than $275.

According to the Glen Falls Post-Star, troopers with the NYSP have been pulling over vehicles that fail to slow down and change lanes when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with its lights activated. During the course of a one-week crackdown earlier this month, troopers issued a total of 38 citations to violators. Furthermore, they wrote more than 800 speeding tickets and handed out another 79 citations to drivers caught texting or using cellphones behind the wheel.

The Personal Injury Attorneys with William Mattar Law Offices applaud the efforts being made by law enforcement to keep the state’s highways and roads safe for all motorists. The firm asks that each motorist do their part to improve highway safety by focusing on the road at all times when behind the wheel of a car.