'Move Over' effort ramps up in Northern Arizona

When the weather begins to warm across Northern Arizona in the spring, it’s a sprint to begin and complete temperature-sensitive pavement repairs and highway improvements before the colder temperatures of fall return.

With maintenance crews performing necessary roadwork throughout the summer, motorists should be prepared to slow down and make safe decisions when approaching work zones. To encourage safer work environments, from mid-May to Labor Day Weekend many overhead message boards across Northern Arizona will display a safety message that reminds motorists of the “Move Over” law.

Arizona’s “Move Over” law requires motorists to move over one lane – or slow down if it is not safe to change lanes – when approaching any vehicle with flashing lights pulled to the side of the road.

“Move Over” matters. In March, ADOT Incident Response Unit team member Frank Dorizio was struck and killed when setting up signs for a pavement repair project on I-10 near Phoenix. When approaching work zones, drivers should be alert and paying attention to signage and vehicles around them -- rear-end collisions are the most common type of crash that occurs in work zones.

More information about Arizona’s “Move Over” law can be found on MoveOverAZ.org. More information about work zone safety is at FocusOnDriving.com.