Do you know what to do when you鈥檙e driving along and see a vehicle with flashing lights stopped at the side of the road?
A number of B.C. drivers obviously don鈥檛, as BC Highway Patrol officers found during the month-long 鈥淪low Down Move Over鈥� campaign in February. The campaign sought to educate drivers about what to do when they see an emergency vehicle, road maintenance vehicle, or any official vehicle with flashing lights stopped at the side of one of the province鈥檚 highways.
鈥淏C Highway Patrol conducted multiple targeted operations throughout the province in February to make highways more secure for emergency responders and maintenance workers, ensuring they safely end their shift and return home to their loved ones,鈥� said Supt. Mike Coyle with BC Highway Patrol. 鈥淢ore than 450 tickets were written province-wide, but the real point was education and awareness.鈥�
The campaign reinforced Section 47.02 of the BC Motor Vehicle Act regulations, which requires that all drivers reduce their speed and (if possible) move into the furthest lane of traffic away from stopped vehicles with flashing red, blue, or yellow lights. The law is in effect when drivers see police, fire, and ambulance vehicles; construction vehicles; tow trucks; and utility and maintenance vehicles.
In the Fraser Valley, BC Highway Patrol issued 50 tickets for people who failed to slow down and move over, but in many cases warnings and pamphlets were handed out instead of tickets, as a way of educationg drivers.
In Cranbrook, BC Highway Patrol partnered with Elk Valley RCMP, the BC Ambulance Service, highway workers, and the Sparwood Fire Department for a convoy of 17 vehicles to get the message across to the motoring public to watch out for emergency vehicles.
Now that the campaign is over, BC Highway Patrol encourages all drivers to continue following the 70/40 rule. When the normal speed limit is 80 km/h or higher, drivers must slow down to 70 km/h or less; when the normal speed limit is below 80 km/h, drivers must slow down to 40 km/h or less.
Drivers who fail to obey the law can face a $173 violation ticket.
