Being an emergency responder has always meant facing occupational hazards, especially on the road. For the past three decades, states nationwide have recognized this and passed numerous pieces of legislation to protect first responders who deal with roadside accidents. Today, every state except Washington, D.C. has passed a move-over law.

Louisiana’s move-over law requires drivers to do the following when approaching stationary emergency vehicles:

Vacate the lane closest to the parked emergency vehicle, or

Slow down to a reasonable speed when passing stationary emergency vehicles

If being approached by an emergency vehicle in Louisiana, drivers are required under the state’s move-over law to do the following:

Yield the right of way to any approaching emergency vehicle

Immediately drive to the rightmost edge of the curb

Remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed

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14 safe driving tips

What is considered an emergency vehicle in Louisiana?

In Louisiana, an emergency vehicle is any vehicle with state-authorized visual or audible signals with flashing amber or white lights, including:

Police vehicles

Ambulances or EMS vehicles

Fire trucks

Tow trucks

Utility vehicles

Recovery vehicles

Penalties for violating Louisiana’s move-over laws

If you fail to yield to an emergency vehicle in Louisiana, you can be charged with a violation under the state’s move-over law and will have to pay a fine of $200 or more, depending on the severity of the violation.

Failing to move over for an emergency vehicle can cause property damage, bodily injury, or death. If you see an emergency vehicle stopped with flashing lights or an emergency vehicle with flashing lights approaching you, move over or slow down.

Can violating move-over laws raise your insurance?

Not only will a Louisiana move-over law violation get you fined, but it might also hurt your

car insurance

premium. Depending on the severity of your move-over law violation, your

car insurance rate could increase

significantly.

If you’ve got a less-than-perfect record, any traffic violation could seriously impact what you pay for car insurance. That’s why it is essential that you follow your state’s rules of the road, including its move over law.

“This was the coolest insurance company I’ve seen so far. They saved me $1,200 and their UX is stellar. Go
Jerry
!” —Carla W.

Why are there move-over laws?

Move-over laws are meant to protect emergency personnel as they respond to roadside accidents. Unfortunately, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and other emergency personnel are vulnerable to being struck by passing vehicles, so move-over laws were written to form a buffer zone around first responders when at the scene of an accident.

The first move-over law in the country was passed in the early 2000s after South Carolina paramedic Jamie D. Garcia was struck by a passing car while responding to an accident. Garcia was actually found at fault for the collision! After that, he spearheaded a movement to pass laws that protected responding emergency personnel while on the road.

As of 2021, every state in the country has passed a move-over law, vindicating Garcia’s drive to protect first responders on the road. Unfortunately, first responders are still occasionally involved in roadside accidents.