SO
SO AS
SO AS OF
SO AS OF THE FIRST OF THE YEAR THERE'S A NEW LAW THAT'S IN EFFECT THAT EXPANDS THE STATE'S
SLOWDOWN. MOVE OVER LAW FROM
JUST FREEWAYS TO ALL LOCAL
ROADS AND STREETS AS WELL. THIS
IS A VERY IMPORTANT LAW. AND
I'VE GOT AUTO CLUB SPOKESMAN
DOUG SHOOP WITH ME TO SHOW US
JUST HOW DANGEROUS IT CAN BE
FOR ALL OF OUR ROADSIDE
RESCUERS IF WE'RE NOT FOLLOWING
THIS LOG AND MORNING. GOOD
MORNING, JENNY. THANKS FOR
HAVING ME ON. YEAH. YOU KNOW,
FIRST OF ALL. OK. THIS IS AN
EXISTING LAW BUT I BET YOU A
LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT
IT. DON'T FOLLOW. BUT THERE IS
AN EXPANSION THAT'S KNOW TRYING
TO KEEP OUR CONSTRUCTION
WORKERS REALLY ANYONE ON THE
ROAD SAFER. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT
IT? YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT, JENNY.
IN FACT, YOU KNOW HERE IN
CALIFORNIA WE HAVE HAD THIS
SLOW DOWN MOVE OVER LAW IN
PLACE. IT WAS ENACTED BACK IN
2006. BUT AS OF JANUARY 1ST
THIS LAW WILL BE EXPANDED FROM
JUST THE INTERSTATE AND STATE
FREEWAYS AND HIGHWAYS TO ALL
SURFACE STREETS. AND SO YOU
KNOW, YOU'RE RIGHT WHEN IT
COMES TO PEOPLE NOT KNOWING
THAT THIS LAW HAS BEEN IN PLACE
IN FACT, ACCORDING TO THE
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY
ADMINISTRATION, ABOUT 70
PERCENT OF AMERICANS DON'T KNOW
ABOUT THE SLOWDOWN MOVE OVER
LAW AND THAT'S DESPITE THE FACT
THAT ALL 50 STATES HAVE WON.
AND HERE IN CALIFORNIA IT'S
REALLY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER
THAT AS OF JANUARY 1ST THIS LAW
WILL NOW APPLY TO ALL LOCAL
ROADWAYS IN ADDITION TO THE
FREEWAYS. SO HERE'S MIKE I'VE A
COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. NUMBER
ONE, HOW DO YOU GET TICKETED
FOR THIS? LIKE WHAT? WALK US
THROUGH. LIKE WE ARE CHILDREN.
WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IF WE SEE,
YOU KNOW, CREWS OR TOW TRUCKS
OR SOMEONE ON THE SIDE? YEAH.
SO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS YOU
WANT TO LOOK OUT FOR THOSE
EMERGENCY VEHICLES. THIS LAW
APPLIES TO ALL EMERGENCY
VEHICLES WITH LIGHTS FLASHING.
SO THAT INCLUDES POLICE
VEHICLES, AMBULANCES, FIRE
TRUCKS, CALTRANS VEHICLES WITH
LIGHTS FLASHING FLASHING IN TOW
TRUCKS WITH LIGHTS FLASHING.
YOU KNOW THESE ARE EMERGENCY
RESPONDERS WHO ARE HELPING US
AT OUR TIME OF NEED AT THE SIDE
OF THE ROAD WHETHER WE'RE
HAVING A MEDICAL CONDITION,
WHETHER WE'VE HAD A VEHICLE
BREAK. AND SO AS DRIVERS WE
REALLY NEED TO RESPECT THE
SLOWDOWN MOVE OVER LAW WHICH
REQUIRES US TO THEY CREATE THAT
LANE CLOSEST TO THE EMERGENCY
VEHICLE WITH THE LIGHTS
FLASHING OR SLOW DOWN TO A
REASONABLE SPEED IF IT'S NOT
SAFE TO GET OUT OF THAT LANE,
YOU KNOW, MOVE OVER TO THE
LEFT. BUT YOU KNOW, AS DRIVERS
WE NEED TO BE WATCHING OUT FOR
THOSE FLASHING LIGHTS. ASSEMBLY
MEMBER JIM FRAZIER OF
FAIRFIELD, YOU KNOW, LED THE
EFFORT TO EXPAND THIS LAW FROM
JUST THE FREEWAYS TO ALL LOCAL
STREETS BECAUSE YOU KNOW, THESE
EMERGENCY RESPONDERS CAN BE AT
RISK ANYWHERE WHERE THERE'S AN
EMERGENCY. AND WE NEVER KNOW
WHERE AN EMERGENCY IS GOING TO
HAPPEN. IT SEEMS LIKE SUCH A
COMMONSENSE THING BUT IT'S NICE
TO BANK SOMEONE OVER THE HEAD
AND REMIND THEM EVER SO GENTLY
PLEASE SLOW DOWN. I HAVE TO ASK
HOW BIG OF A PROBLEM IS THIS
THAT YOU GUYS HAD TO KIND OF RE
AND NOT REENACT BUT MAKE THE
RULE FOR LOCAL ROADS AS WELL?
YEAH. TO EXPAND IT. WELL
ACCORDING TO THE EMERGENCY
RESPONDERS SAFETY INSTITUTE IN
TWO THOUSAND NINETEEN FORTY
FOUR EMERGENCY RESPONDERS WERE
KILLED AT THE ROADSIDE AND YOU
KNOW THAT'S IN ADDITION TO
DOZENS OF OTHER CONSTRUCTION
WORKERS AS WELL AS ROAD
MAINTENANCE WORKERS WHO'VE BEEN
KILLED AT THE ROADSIDE EACH
YEAR. THESE FOLKS ARE JUST
WANTING TO GET HOME TO THEIR
FAMILY BUT THEY'RE DOING THAT
VERY CRITICAL YET POTENTIALLY
DANGEROUS WORK AT THE SIDE, THE
ROADWAY. AND SO THAT'S WHY, YOU
KNOW, THIS LAW HAS BEEN ENACTED
TO EXPAND THE RULES FROM OUR
FREEWAYS TO ALL ROADS THAT WE
TRAVEL ON HERE IN CALIFORNIA.
EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN
PANDEMIC TIMES AND MAYBE NOT AS
MANY PEOPLE ARE DRIVING WHEN I
DO REPORT THE TRAFFIC THERE ARE
SO MANY CRASHES. SO THIS IS
STILL VITAL INFORMATION BECAUSE
PEOPLE ARE DRIVING IN THERE.
THEY'RE DOING THESE MISTAKES.
SO YEAH, IT'S JUST SO IMPORTANT
THAT WE JUST AS DRIVERS WE TAKE
THE RESPONSIBILITY TO BE
LOOKING OUT YOU KNOW, SCANNING
AHEAD 20 TO 30 SECONDS AHEAD SO
THAT WE RECOGNIZE IF THERE ARE
THOSE LIGHTS FLASHING AND THAT
WE CAN START TO TAKE THE
MEASURES TO EITHER SAFELY MOVE
OUT OF THAT LANE CLOSE TO THE
EMERGENCY VEHICLE OR WE SLOW
DOWN TO A REASONABLE SPEED. WE
ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE'RE NOT TAILGATING LARGE
VEHICLES LIKE YOU COULD LIKE
LARGE TRUCKS BECAUSE THEY WERE
NOT ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THOSE
LIGHTS FOR TAILGATING BEHIND
OTHER VEHICLES TOO CLOSELY.
LOTS OF GOOD INFO. A GOOD
REMINDER DOG AND IT'S KIND OF
HOW WE SHOULD BE LIVING OUR
LIFE OVERALL. SLOW DOWN. MOVE
OVER. YOU KNOW, KEEP YOUR
DISTANCE. SOCIAL QUARANTINE AND
THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW ON THE
ROADS AS WELL. YEAH. DON'T BE
DISTRACT. DID YOU KNOW THERE'S
SO MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE? I GOT
TO TELL YOU I RODE ALONG WITH
ONE OF OUR TRIPLE-A AUTO CLUB
EMERGENCY ROADSIDE PROVIDERS.
YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT WE
SAW THESE VEHICLES COMING JUST
A FEW FEET AWAY FROM THE TOW
TRUCK OPERATORS WHILE THEY'RE
TRYING TO HELP SOMEBODY WHO'S
HAD A VEHICLE BREAKDOWN AND
MANY TIMES YOU SAW PEOPLE THAT
ARE JUST DISTRACTED LOOKING
DOWN AT UNFORTUNATE ONLY THOSE
SMARTPHONES IN THEIR HAND WHICH
OF COURSE IS AGAINST THE LAW AS
WELL HERE IN CALIFORNIA. AND
ANYBODY WHO IS FOUND TO VIOLATE
THE SLOWDOWN MOVE OVER LAW THEY
COULD FACE FINES OF UP TO TWO
HUNDRED THIRTY EIGHT DOLLARS IN
ADDITION TO A POINT ON THEIR