Highway Patrol Menu

Slow Down Move Over

The shoulder of the road is dangerous and can be deadly. Photo shows a car that flipped upside down after striking a UHP vehicle on the shoulder.

Dangerous and Deadly: The Road Shoulder

The road shoulder is a dangerous, even deadly place.

And that’s where our troopers often find themselves – whether they’re helping stranded motorists, handling crashes or working a traffic stop.

Every year, troopers here in Utah and around the country are hit and injured – and sometimes killed – when they’re working on the road shoulder. The other people stopped on the shoulder can be hurt, too.

See it and believe it: this video shows you how dangerous the side of the road can be.

This Doesn’t Have to Happen

These crashes are preventable. Even in bad weather conditions.

Follow these steps to help your troopers get home safely to their families.

Slow Down

Slow down before you get near the vehicles on the shoulder. If the weather is bad, you should already be going under the speed limit to begin with. Don't brake suddenly when you get near the vehicles on the shoulder.

Move Over

Move Over if it is clear and safe to do so. If you can't move over a whole lane. Don't panic and don't slam on your brakes. Move as far to the left or right in your lane as possible, and look where you want to go.

Don’t slam on your brakes.

Do not brake suddenly - that can cause you to slide into any vehicles stopped on the shoulder.

Look where you want to go, not at the vehicles on the shoulder.

Look where you want to go - not at the vehicles on the shoulder. Focus on the road and look at the path you want to follow.

Help keep us safe.

Help keep your troopers safe. We're working to keep you safe, help keep us safe. Slow down, move over and look where you want to go.

It’s the Law

It's the law - slow down, move over for tow, emergency and maintenance vehicles.

 

To help protect troopers, tow truck drivers and others on the road shoulder, it’s the law to slow down and move over.

Additional Videos

If the compilation of road shoulder crashes you saw in the video above didn’t convince you of the dangers of the side of the road, here are some additional, more recent videos that show you how frequently this happens.

Please, when you see flashing lights on the side of the road, slow down, move over and look where you want to go.