It's Crash Responder Safety Week: Slow Down and Move Over for Emergency Workers
West Virginia joins national campaign reminding drivers to protect first responders and highway workers on the roadside.
West Virginia is joining emergency response agencies across the country from Monday, Nov. 2, through Friday, Nov. 6, to recognize Crash Responder Safety Week.
The West Virginia Department of Transportation is highlighting the annual campaign with a simple but urgent message: "Slow Down. Move Over. Lives Are On The Line."
The awareness week aims to educate drivers about the dangers faced by first responders and roadside workers, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, tow truck operators and highway maintenance crews who work along busy roadways.
State law requires motorists approaching stationary emergency or public safety vehicles displaying flashing or hazard lights to move over to an adjacent lane when it is safe to do so. If changing lanes isn't possible, drivers must slow down to a safe speed.
The campaign is sponsored and coordinated nationally by the Federal Highway Administration, which works with a national committee of partner organizations to promote roadway responder safety.
Drivers can learn more about the West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program at highwaysafety.wv.gov.
