Lennox and Addington OPP are issuing a reminder to motorists after charging a driver under the “Move Over” law.
Officers conducting speed enforcement on Highway 401 just west of Napanee late Monday morning were in a fully marked vehicle with their emergency lights activated and had a vehicle pulled over on the right shoulder of the highway for speeding.
During the traffic stop, a vehicle sped by in the lane next to the stopped vehicles, at an estimated 130 km/hr, making no attempt to move over to the next open lane or slow down.
The vehicle was stopped by the second officer on the scene.
The 30-year-old driver told police they did not realize that it was a law to move over into the open lane away from the emergency vehicle.
The Kingston man has been fined $490 and has lost three demerit points.
The Move Over law, which has been in place since 2003, protects the lives of police, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel and tow truck operators who are stopped at the roadside to carry out their work.
Failure to comply with Ontario’s Move Over law carries a $490 to $2,000 fine plus three demerit points upon conviction.
Subsequent offences carry a $1,000 to $4,000 fine, possible jail time of up to six months and suspension of their driver’s licence for up to two years.
