INDIANAPOLIS — A pair of crashes in recent days are serving as a reminder of an updated law for drivers in Indiana.
The state's amended "Move Over or Slow Down" law took effect on July 1. It requires all drivers on a road with two or more lanes to move over if a car is broken down on the side of the road.
The law initially only required drivers to move over for emergency vehicles on the side of the road but was expanded to include disabled vehicles with their hazard lights on. If it's not possible to move over, drivers must slow down to 10 mph below the posted speed limit while passing the disabled vehicle.
Failure to do so could result in a ticket.
“The point of the conversation is not how many tickets we can write,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Brian Walker told WPTA last month. “The point of the conversation is traffic safety and what we could be doing and should be doing to make our roadways safer.”
The law also prohibits drivers from stopping, standing or parking on the side of an interstate, unless it's an emergency. State police suggest drivers who become stranded call 911 and stay in the vehicle with their seatbelt fastened until help arrives.
On Saturday afternoon, state police said 45-year-old Michael Shaw, of Portland, Oregon, was standing outside of his disabled pickup truck on the Indiana Toll Road in Steuben County when he walked into the right lane of the interstate and was struck by an oncoming semi-tractor/trailer. He died at the scene.
Monday morning, an Indiana State Police trooper was investigating a crash on Interstate 70 in the Indianapolis area when his car was struck. Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine shared photos of the crash on social media with a reminder about the new law.
"It’s not just a courtesy, it’s the law, and now includes ALL vehicles stopped on the side of the road in Indiana as of July 1st," Perrine wrote. "This is Trooper Beltran’s car, he was crashed into this morning on the side of I-70 while investigating a crash."
There was no word if the trooper or others were injured in the crash.