MoDOT reminds drivers to move over for stopped emergency vehicles

The Missouri Department of Transportation and its safety partners remind motorists to move over when emergency vehicles are stopped on the road with their lights on.

The Federal Highway Administration declared the week of Nov. 11-17 as National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week.

MoDOT officials said that emergency vehicles include MoDOT, law enforcement and fire, emergency medical services, towing vehicles and any other emergency vehicle with flashing lights.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic incidents are the No. 1 cause of death for police officers and EMS responders nationwide.

MoDOT emergency response personnel respond to about 6,000 traffic incidents a month. In the past 10 years, three MoDOT emergency response employees were killed while working incidents on the road.

It is state law for drivers to either change lanes or slow down when approaching stationary emergency vehicles with flashing lights on.

According to MoDOT, the law was recently expanded to include utility vehicles with amber or amber and white flashing lights.