The Louisiana Move Over Law: Everything You Need To Know

The Louisiana move over law, otherwise known as Louisiana Revised Statute 32.125, governs the actions you should take when sharing the road with an emergency vehicle. It includes information about what you should do when you encounter a stopped emergency vehicle by the side of the road, often because the driver or responder has exited to give aid or perform his job duties, and what you should do when an emergency vehicle comes up behind or beside you with its lights flashing and/or siren wailing. It is important to understand this law so that you do not end up getting a traffic ticket for failing to move over.

What Should You Do If You Note a Stopped Emergency Vehicle?

You’re driving down a Louisiana highway, from I-10 to I-12 or I-20. You see a police car stopped by the side of the road. You may even have time to note the police officer standing beside another vehicle.

What should you do next?

According to the Louisiana move over law, if you have the option to change lanes into the lane not adjacent to the parked vehicle. You should move over if you have room to do so safely, including adequate room to change lanes.

If you cannot change lanes safely, you should slow down to a slower, safer speed to help protect the emergency responder stopped by the side of the road and any other people he may be assisting at the time.

Likewise, if you approach a stopped emergency vehicle on a two-lane road, with no other lane that you can move into, you should slow down to a safer speed before passing the emergency vehicle. You can speed up once you have moved past the emergency vehicle and any responders at the scene.

Trooper Derek Senegal with the Louisiana State Police puts it succinctly: “If there are two or more lanes going in the same direction, they have to move over one lane safely. If they can’t do it safely, they have to slow down to a reasonable speed.”

How to Handle an Approaching Emergency Vehicle

If you notice that an emergency vehicle has pulled onto the road next to you, but has no lights flashing or sirens in operation, you can continue to follow the usual rules of the road and proceed to your destination as normal. On the other hand, if you notice lights and sirens, including the use of an audible siren by a police officer, you should yield right-of-way and move over.

According to the statute, the driver of every vehicle should immediately drive to a “position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb of the highway clear of any intersection.” You should remain stopped until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed. This simple strategy clears the roadway and allows the emergency vehicle driver to more easily pass through both roads and intersections, which can help him get to the scene of an emergency faster.

If multiple other vehicles also had to pull over, you should exercise caution in pulling back onto the road to avoid causing an accident. Restoring the normal flow of traffic won’t take long if you exercise caution.

Penalties for Ignoring the Louisiana Move Over Law

If you ignore the Louisiana move over law, you could find yourself facing significant legal penalties, including a fine of up to $200.

These penalties exist as a result of people failing to follow the rules of the road and exercise safety around first responders. Every year, police officers, EMTs, and other first responders die in the line of duty because of negligent drivers on the roads who fail to move over and leave room for them. Many people react inappropriately when they see an emergency vehicle at the side of the road. Drivers may take photos or videos, post information to social media, or even send texts or emails about the emergency that has blocked their travel to their destination, often while still behind the wheel. Not only can these individuals end up inadvertently striking a first responder while they pay more attention to their phones than to the emergency scene, but they may also cause another accident further down the road that can block traffic and lead to serious injuries.

Instead, drivers should always follow the Louisiana move over law and show respect for first responders in and out of their vehicles. Emergency responders have the right to safety on the road–and the move over law helps to establish greater safety. Police officers can and do issue traffic citations on the spot for drivers who fail to follow those crucial regulations. If you have failed to follow the Louisiana move over law, you can expect to face penalties for those actions. However, sometimes, you can prove that you did your best to follow the law despite less-than-ideal conditions, including choosing to slow down when passing a stopped emergency vehicle instead of moving over because of an obstructed lane.

Contact an attorney to learn more about your rights and how to potentially alleviate those penalties.