Big Changes in Maine’s ‘Slow Down Move Over’ Law; Here’s What You Need to Know

Let's start off by assuming that everyone who is reading this article, and is a driver, is a really good driver, okay? Let's assume that if you're reading it, you're one of the hundreds of thousands of Maine drivers who don't need laws to tell us how to do things we should just be doing on our own accord.

For years, Maine has had the 'slow down move over' law on the books.

What does the law say? Well, in layman's terms, it basically says that if you're driving down the highway and you see an emergency vehicle pulled over with lights activated, you need to get the hell out of the way and move to the opposing lane.

Seems simple, right?

Well, not to everyone. You see, over the last several decades, people have been killed all over New England (and the country) from people not moving over when they see emergency vehicles.

As a matter of fact, according to AAA, 350 people die EVERY SINGLE YEAR in roadside accidents.

This still astounds me that some people don't have the common sense to MOVE OVER but, alas, it's true.

The update in the law states that drivers will need to 'slow down and move over' for any disabled vehicle that has their hazard lights on, according to WGME 13. The new update, which goes into effect on Wednesday, October 25, could pose a driver a fine of $275 for violating it, the news station reported.

This means it's not going to just be for police, fire, rescue and tow trucks anymore. Let's say you're putting along on 295 and there is a Camry in the breakdown lane with a flat tire and no emergency vehicles are present... you still gotta move over!

Pat Moody, of AAA New England, says in part in the WGME article,

“We need to care about the person on the side of the road. Treat them like they’re a family member. Slow down, pay attention, that’s the biggest thing. We have so many distracted drivers on our roads. They’re not paying attention. They don’t know what’s going on, and we need to get them to flip that switch.”