October 17th is recognized as National Move Over Day, when first responders, roadway workers, and communities across the United States promote awareness of Move Over laws. These laws, which are active in every state, are intended to protect responders from dangerous struck-by incidents and collisions.

While a majority of drivers say that they're familiar with Move Over laws, the need for awareness campaigns is significant and urgent. A survey of national drivers by the National Safety Council last year found that 34% of drivers have never heard of Move Over laws, which require drivers to slow down and move over when approaching active emergency vehicles and incidents. 

When drivers fail to move over, the consequences are costly and often fatal. A total of 44 responders in the United States were struck and killed on roads last year. This year, as we mark National Move Over Day, 38 responders have already died in similar incidents. Our Cost of Collisions e-book includes additional data demonstrating the far-reaching impact of these incidents on responders, public safety departments, city budgets, and families in the community.

Every day at HAAS Alert, our team works to make roads safer for all responders, workers, and vehicles that Move Over laws are designed to protect. We believe that mobility technology is a critical tool for solving this problem, and in the 21st century, we have the capability to prevent these collisions and save lives. Our service Safety Cloud uses digital alerts to notify drivers through in-dash systems and navigation applications when they're approaching active emergencies or work zones, reducing the chances of collision by getting driver attention earlier than lights and sirens. Over 100 public safety agencies and roadway fleets have adopted our service and integrated digital alerting into their broader initiatives to finally address the leading cause of death for most roadway workers.

Every driver has the responsibility to be alert on the road; by working together to spread awareness, we can all do our part to make sure that everyone gets home safely. We're proud to join communities across the country today in celebrating National Move Over Day. For additional information on Move Over laws in your state, visit this helpful AAA state-by-state summary.