Move Over for Emergency Vehicles, or You'll Get More Like This

It's been just short of six years since Nova Scotia first passed a "Move Over" law, requiring motorists to slow down and move to the empty lane when passing an emergency vehicle stopped with lights flashing. When it was first launched, there was an extensive public awareness campaign in an effort to make sure everyone was alerted to the changes. Despite this, compliance is still low, and officers are still being injured or having near misses with cars and trucks. So Nova Scotia RCMP have put together a little video to remind you to slow down and move over. Help keep our first responders safe on our streets and highways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9IYyIrGcv0

In Nova Scotia you are required to slow to the speed limit or 60 km/h (whichever is slowest) and leave a lane between you and the emergency vehicle (if safe to do so). Similar laws exist across Canada (with the exceptions of Nunavut and the Yukon), but the speeds and rules vary. So if you're traveling out of province, be sure to check the laws for any provinces (or state) you are planning to travel through. But if you're in doubt, slow down.