Some traffic laws seem more like “suggestions”…as in the law that requires one to either slow down or move over when encountering a stranded driver or law enforcement stop at the roadside. So as to remove any doubt, the Wisconsin State Patrol in every region of the state will be stepping up enforcement efforts this week, and even taking extra steps of handing out informational flyers to motorists who’ve been stopped for violating Wisconsin’s Move Over Law which was enacted in 2001.
The importance is borne by the number of accidents the law was meant to prevent. In a release on Monday afternoon, the Wisconsin DOT said that over the past five years, 128 people in Wisconsin were injured roadside while inside or near a stopped vehicle, and six were killed.
Wisconsin’s Move Over Law requires drivers traveling on a road with two or more lanes in the same direction to move out of the lane closest to stopped law enforcement vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, tow trucks, utility or highway maintenance vehicles with their warning lights activated. If unable to safely move over, or along single lane roadways, vehicle operators must slow down.
In 2025, the same protections were added for disabled vehicles stopped along the road with hazard lights on, emergency devices or flares placed near the vehicle, or one or more persons attending to the vehicle and visible to motorists. Violators could be cited with a noncriminal moving violation and a fine of up to $300. If the violation results in a crash or injury, the penalties could be much more significant.
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