11/19/2025
Slow Down and Move Over When Lights Are Flashing
The Groton Police Department in partnership with the South Dakota Department of Public Safety-Office of Highway Safety, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges drivers to move over when they see flashing lights on the side of the road. Every driver needs to remember this simple message: Move Over. It’s the Law.
During the week of November 24th through the 30th, 2025 the Groton Police Department will be partnering with the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety, and Law Enforcement across South Dakota in an upcoming Operation Safe high visibility enforcement campaign. The goal is to reduce fatality crashes on South Dakota roadways. You will see educational messaging on media platforms, PSA’s, and social media messaging about the Move Over Law reminding motorists about safe driving habits as we head into one of the busiest travel times of the year related to Thanksgiving. You will also see more Law Enforcement out on the roadways conducting high visibility saturation patrols during the Thanksgiving week.
In 2023, there were 28,000 traffic-related crashes along the shoulder, and 585 of these crashes were deadly. For law enforcement, one of the most dangerous places for officers to be is on the side of the road. Tragically, 237 law enforcement officers were killed in traffic-related crashes between 2020 and 2024, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Of the 44 killed in 2024 alone, 17 law enforcement officers were struck outside their vehicles — a 113% increase from 2023.
Every state and Washington, DC, has a Move Over law requiring drivers to move away and slow down for emergency vehicles with flashing lights. Some states have expanded their Move Over law to include other types of vehicles stopped on the side of the road that have flashing lights, such as tow trucks, utility and construction vehicles, trash trucks, and disabled vehicles.
Laws vary from state to state, so it is a driver’s responsibility to know their state’s specific requirements for the Move Over law. In general, no matter the state, the message is the same: If a driver sees flashing lights on the side of the road, they should Move Over.
South Dakota updated it’s "Move Over" law, effective July 1, 2025, requires drivers to move over or slow down for any vehicle on the shoulder with amber, yellow, or blue warning lights. The law now includes tow trucks, utility vehicles, and Department of Transportation crews, not just law enforcement or emergency vehicles. On multi-lane highways, drivers must move to the farthest lane, and on two-lane roads, they must slow down by 20 mph (or 5 mph if the limit is 20 mph or less) at least 300 feet before the vehicle.
Slowing down and moving over is a simple way you can help protect law enforcement, first responders, and others working along the side of a road or broke down. Drivers who zoom by and ignore the flashing lights — and the Move Over law —increase the risk for those of us doing our job. Unfortunately, many drivers perceive moving over as an optional courtesy when they see flashing lights on the side of the road. It’s not optional: Move Over. It’s the Law.
Drivers need to remember the next time they see flashing lights on the side of the road: Move Over. It’s the Law.
For more information about Move Over. It’s the Law, visit NHTSA.gov/MoveOver.
