DENVER – Drivers in Colorado will notice an increase in police officers, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers on the roads Tuesday.
That’s because law enforcement agencies statewide are teaming up for another round of “Move Over” enforcement campaigns.
The “Move Over” law requires drivers to change lanes in order to provide a safety buffer for police and other first responders as well as tow trucks and road crews. If they can’t move over, drivers are required to slow down. Officials say several first responders are injured every year because drivers fail to make room for them.
Since December, agencies have been enforcing the law every month and the effort appears to be paying off.
When the enforcement campaign first started, officials reported about 70 percent of drivers failed to move over. That number has since gone down to 30 percent.
“Now you can drive and see people consciously move over,” said Commander Eric Schmitt with the Greenwood Village Police Department. “Before, nobody was doing it, and now, between the message boards CDOT is doing and our education enforcement efforts, we are seeing a majority of cars move over.”
In all, 30 law enforcement agencies statewide have participated in the extra enforcement effort.
