Move Over to Save Lives
In 2003, two important pieces of legislation regarding roadway safety were passed by the Oklahoma Legislature to protect motorists and first responders. The Quick Clearance and Move Over bills require motorists to use common sense judgment when driving along Oklahoma’s highways. The Quick Clearance legislation was discussed in a previous blog post, so the focus of this article will be on the Oklahoma Move Over law.
Quick Clearance: It’s the Law
The number one cause of roadway congestion in Central Oklahoma is traffic incidents. Oklahoma does not have an unusual number or crashes per capita, ranking 21st in number of fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled, but the traffic delay caused by a crash blocking travel lanes makes up approximately 60 percent of all congestion on the region’s roadways. Drivers can help reduce travel delay, chance of secondary crashes and overall cost spent on congestion by remembering to quickly clear the roadway if you are involved in a minor crash. In fact, it’s the law.
COTIME Goes to Washington
COTIME, or the Central Oklahoma Traffic Incident Management Effort, was showcased in our nation’s capital January 14 at a national transportation conference. I was invited to speak at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. about the role ACOG has played in shaping the traffic incident management (TIM) committee aimed at reducing incident related congestion and provide safety to first responders and roadway travelers during a roadway incident.