Gov. Neil Abercrombie today planned to sign into law a bill designed to help protect police officers while carrying out their duties along roadways.
The “move over” bill requires that motorists approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights must slow to a “prudent speed” and, if possible, move over to the adjacent lane.
Lawmakers passed the bill as a result of the deaths of two Honolulu police officers in the past year.
One involved the Jan. 21 death of Officer Garret Davis who was killed on the H-1 freeway when his squad car was struck from behind after he had pulled over to help a stalled motorist. The other occurred in September 2011 when patrolman Eric Fontes was assisting another officer in a traffic stop on Farrington Highway.
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The law will apply to a variety of emergency vehicles including fire trucks, ambulances and tow trucks.
If a death or injury results from a failure to obey the law, the motorist could be charged with first-degree negligent homicide.
According to the Associated Press, Hawaii is the last state to implement a “move over” law protecting emergency responders.
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