Drivers ignoring ‘move over’ law
10 years ago Idaho put in place the “move over” law and still today drivers aren’t following it. The violations are putting lives at risk.
Tow-truck drivers say when they go on a call they just hope they make it back to family, but one driver from southeast Idaho didn’t make it home this year.
“He excelled at everything he did,” said Richard Taylor of Eaton Towing. “Had to be the best at everything he did.”
Three years ago, Shawn Eaton of Shelley went out on a call.
“A driver who was intoxicated or busy doing something else didn’t see him and knocked him out of his boots,” said Taylor. “Smacked him and shot him 60 to 70 feet.”
“It was a situation where he had that trust that no one was going to be there,” said C.J. Eaton. “He walked around carelessly cause there was cones and everything but that guy went into the ditch around our barricade. Seventy miles an hour went through it and kept going. Hit him and kept going. That’s the hard part.”
Two weeks later Shawn was walking out of the hospital ready to go back to work, but this year a second tow-trucking incident killed him.
“How can this be happening again? I thought this was a dream,” said Taylor.
“I get nervous all the time,” said James Hendrickson of Hendrickson Towing. “I mean you’re on the side of the highway and you have cars that won’t move over even though it’s the state law you have to move over for emergency vehicles.”
Idaho law states that the definition of an authorized emergency vehicle does include tow trucks and wreckers in the process of recovering a vehicle.
When approaching one of these vehicles, drivers are required to slow down and move into the other lane.
“Most people don’t care,” said Eaton.
Idaho State Patrol is cracking down on those who violate the move over law. If a driver fails to move over you could be facing an $85 fine, or worse cost someone their life. Shawn Eaton will be included on the Wall Of The Fallen at The International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
