Have you ever heard of Pennsylvania’s “Steer Clear” law? This important piece of the PA vehicle code requires drivers to move over at least one lane or slow down when they encounter an emergency scene, traffic stop, or disabled vehicle where emergency responders such as law enforcement, tow truck operators, and/or PennDOT personnel and vehicles are present.
The law is intended to prevent injuries and save lives, but it only works if drivers are aware of it and too often they’re not. According to this story in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reports that there were 76 crashes involving parked vehicles in the state in 2014 and 82 in 2015. An annual average of 90 crashes a year were recorded from 2000-06 before the “Steer Clear” law. That average fell just below 85 in the years since the law passed.
Attorneys with Anapol Weiss have worked on numerous cases where accidents involving responders which could have been avoided had drivers been more familiar with the “Steer Clear” law.
If you have questions about the “Steer Clear” law, or if you or someone you know was injured by a driver who violated the law, contact Anapol Weiss today for a free consultation.