CONNECTICUT, USA — Wednesday, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, or CT DOT, launched a new public service announcement to raise awareness about the state’s Move Over Law.
Even though this law’s been in effect for 15 years, officials say people still aren’t obeying it. They hope this PSA will grow awareness, bringing humanity and a face to those at risk.
“It is crazy out there,” said Tilcon employee Mike Relish. “I’ve seen it all.”
Relish has been a construction worker for more than 35 years.
“Right now, the driving is out of this world,” he said. “People are crazy driving. They're not thinking; we don't know what is going on.”
Every year in Connecticut, emergency crews, tow operators and law enforcement respond to 100,000 crashes where they’re working next to oncoming traffic.
Between 2017 and 2021, 16 people lost their lives in roadside crashes in Connecticut, with 13 of those deaths occurring after dark.
“You're literally putting people's lives at risk,” CT DOT Deputy Commissioner Laoise King said. “People who are out there to help the traveling public when you need them the most.”
In 2009, Connecticut enacted the Move Over Law, before expanding it in 2017 and again last year.
The law now applies even to one-lane roads, requiring drivers to slow down for all vehicles, not just emergency personnel.
“There's nothing between you and 85-mile-an-hour cars and trucks, then some safety cones, a vest and a hard hat,” said Don Shubert, president of the CT Construction Industries Association. “We see distracted driving every hour. This is not just about our safety, this is also about the safety of the traveling public.”
That’s why CT DOT launched the new PSA, featuring real workers to promote the importance of the Move Over Law.
Workers like Relish want drivers to know they have a family and a life outside of their job.
“I have a 20-year-old out there, you know, my son is out there now, and he's out there on the road working,” Relish explained. “We're just trying to be safe at the end of the day and go home to our families.”
The message he, his coworkers and state officials hope hits home, “Slow down, move over. It's the law.”
This current PSA is in collaboration with Colchester Fire & EMS, which received a grant to film and produce the videos. Relish says he wants this to continue, hoping to see the campaign featuring workers from across the state.
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Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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