HONOLULU (AP) — A new Hawaii law requires drivers to move over when they’re passing a stationary emergency vehicle on a highway.
The Legislature passed the “move over” bill after two Honolulu police officers were killed on the side of the road during the past year. In January, Garret Davis was killed on the H-1 freeway when his squad car was struck from behind. Davis had pulled over to help a stalled vehicle.
In September, officer Eric Fontes was killed while assisting another officer with a traffic stop on Farrington Highway in west Oahu.
“We can’t bring back these officers,” Gov. Neil Abercrombie said before signing the bill. “But what we can do is learn from it and act in a responsible way.”
When motorists see emergency vehicles ahead, they should slow down and begin moving over, Abercrombie explained. “Believe me, if there are those that you see who are not moving over…get that number of the car going by and we’ll make sure they have an understanding of what this law is all about,” he said. “I want to make clear if you don’t do this, if you don’t move over, even if there’s no injury, even if there’s no death…you’re going to be charged.”
He said it’s unfortunate there even needs to be such a law. “The plain fact is that some people don’t pay attention,” he said.
Tuesday was the deadline for the governor to sign measures into law, veto bills, or allow bills to become law without his signature. Abercrombie has enacted more than 280 measures into law.
