National Survey of Slow Down Move Over Awareness, Attitudes, and Behavior

Introduction

Research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that a roadside assistance provider is struck and killed by a passing vehicle approximately every two weeks. Data from the Emergency Responder Safety Institute show that similar numbers of law enforcement officers and firefighters are killed by passing vehicles. National crash data suggest that as many as 400-500 ordinary motorists and “Good Samaritans” are struck and killed each year outside of disabled vehicles at the roadside as well. While contributing factors vary, all of these incidents in some way involve another motorist’s failure to slow down and/or move over. All U.S. states have some form of “Slow Down, Move Over” law, which requires passing vehicles to reduce their speed and/or change lanes when passing emergency responders working at the roadside, and many states’ laws apply to disabled vehicles as well.

Project Goal and Plan

The purpose of this project is to assess awareness of and attitudes toward Slow Down Move Over laws, social norms regarding appropriate behavior when passing emergency responders and disabled vehicles on the side of the road, and motorist behavior in such situations. This will be accomplished by conducting a large-scale survey of a representative sample of drivers. Results will be examined at the national level as well as regionally. Conducting such surveys periodically would allow stakeholders to track changes or trends in awareness of, attitudes toward, and compliance with Slow Down, Move Over laws.