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Move over for MoDOT workers -- it's the law

MoDOT Photos
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MoDOT cares.

Governor Jay Nixon has been on a signing spree this week, signing into law close to 30 bills in the past two days. Among them, a law requiring highway drivers to move over when passing parked MoDOT vehicles.

Archie Daily is president of the Transportation Employees Association of Missouri – he has spent years supervising crews on the state’s highways – a sometimes harrowing experience:

"When you're sitting in your vehicle, and you look back at traffic headed for you on I-44, and people are hitting that white line or yellow line, you know they're not paying attention. And I think this new 'move-over' law would hopefully get their attention."

The new law expands Missouri's "move-over" law, which currently applies only to emergency vehicles like ambulances and highway patrol. Now, drivers will have to move over or slow down when passing vehicles with flashing amber lights as well. 

Four MoDOT employees have been killed on the job since 2000, according to the Department of Transportation. Each day, some 2,400 MoDOT employees work on highways around the state.

The law goes into effect August 28.