SAN ANTONIO – A Texas woman who was severely injured in a crash is using her experience to raise awareness on expanding Texas’ “Move Over” laws to include not only emergency vehicles but also any disabled car on the side of the road.
According to the AAA website, the state’s Move Over or Slow Down law requires drivers to move over, putting a lane between them and roadside workers, or reduce their speed by 20 mph below the posted speed limit when passing stopped law enforcement, tow trucks, utility vehicles, emergency responders, and Texas Department of Transportation vehicles with activated overhead lights.
All 50 states have Move Over or Slow Down laws, but in some states, like Texas, it applies only to stopped emergency vehicles and tow trucks with lights flashing. That’s why AAA Texas is advocating for an expansion of the law to include all stopped vehicles, including those experiencing vehicle trouble or pulled off the lanes of traffic after a crash.
Seventeen years ago, Heather Haenes was in a car accident, but it wasn’t her direct accident that caused her to lose both of her legs.
“Pulled over to the side of the road after the accident and another car hit us, and I was standing in between the two cars,” she said. “It was a split second on the side of the road. Wasn’t 30 seconds before someone hit me when I hopped out of the car.”
The collision was so intense, paramedics had to amputate both of Haenes’ legs at the scene before rushing her to the hospital.
Her life would ultimately change forever.
“In an instant my life changed,” she said. “I went from a normal person doing my life to having to learn how to do life in a different way.”
It would take years of physical therapy and seeking others like her to relearn the things she had known.
“I learned how to walk and then the other things, like bike, wakeboarding and ski,” she said.
Haenes has joined AAA’s mission to expand Texas’ Move Over laws to include any vehicles stopped on the side of the road.
“It was just a pure accident of someone going a little too close, a little too fast, and needing to move and hit us, so it could have been avoided,” Haenes said. “I am a gentle reminder to everyone to slow down and be aware and not be distracted with things in your car, so everyone can get to your destination.”
National Move Over Day is Saturday, Oct. 19.
In an effort to protect those working or stranded at the roadside, both AAA and Haenes want people to:
- Remain alert, avoid distractions, and focus on the task of driving.
- Keep an eye out for situations where emergency vehicles, tow trucks, utility service vehicles or disabled vehicles are stopped on the side of the road.
- When you see these situations, slow down, and, if possible, move one lane over and away from the people and vehicles stopped at the side of the road.
This Saturday, Oct. 19, is National Move Over Day, which is a day to remind the public about the importance of following Move Over or Slow Down laws.
