The owner of a local towing service says new provisions to New York State’s "Move Over" law will save lives.
On New Year's Day the expanded law went into effect. Previously, drivers were required to shift lanes when approaching flashing police lights. Motorists will now have to follow the same rules for tow trucks and other emergency vehicles with flashing amber colored lights.
Craig Camp owns Action Towing and Service in Rochester. He says people have become desensitized to amber lights, "For instance, plow trucks that drive with their amber lights rotating, as they're traveling down the roadway, I think just like a car alarm the public has been desensitized to the amber light so you see it but you really don't pay attention anymore, you keep on doing what you'd normally do."
Camp says rather than being called the "Move Over" law he says it should be called the "Move Over and Slow Down" law.
He says just this past December one of his vehicles was side-swiped on the side of Interstate 390 when the driver was responding to a call. Camp says the offending driver never stopped.
Motorists who violate the new law could be fined up to $275, up to 15 days in jail and get up to 3 points on their driving record.