SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Caltrans partnered with the California Office of Traffic Safety and the California Highway Patrol to kick off California’s "Move Over" public awareness campaign.
The campaign officially started on Monday, Nov 21 at the Golden 1 Center and featured the "Kids of Caltrans" comprised of children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of Caltrans workers.
"Move Over" is a campaign aimed to get drivers to move over a lane or slow down when they see people such as Caltrans workers, police officers or others working on the roads.
Some of the kids of Caltrans were even featured in a video message asking drivers to be alert and to move over a lane if safe to do so or slow down to safely pass highway workers.
"There's no better voice, I believe, to stress the importance of safety on the roadway as it relates to keeping their family member safe than the children of our Caltrans workers," said Barbara Rooney, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety.
This comes after the various injuries and fatalities of highway workers, law enforcement officers, emergency personnel and tow truck drivers along California's highways.
In 2020, nearly 7,000 work-zone crashes occurred on California roadways, resulting in more than 3,000 injuries and nearly 100 fatalities. Also, since 1921, there have been 191 Caltrans employees killed on the job.
According to the American Automobile Association, an expected 55 million Americans will be traveling during the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Not only is this a timely campaign with the upcoming increase in holiday travel, but it serves as a reminder for drivers to be cautious on the roads and always pay attention to their surroundings.
"As a driver, even as a passenger, when you see flashing lights out there, move over or slow down as they're passing by those vehicles with flashing lights," said Tony Tavares, director of Caltrans. "When you do so, you're not only saving the lives of the people who are working there, but you may be saving your own life."
Although all 50 states have enacted “Move Over” laws, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 71% of Americans are not aware of them. Here in California, if one does not obey the “Move Over” law, it can result in fines of up to $1,000 as well as points on their driving record.
You can meet the kids of Caltrans HERE or at www.BeWorkZoneAlert.com/meet-kids.
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