Ohio House passes Slow Down to Get Around bill

June 27 the Ohio House of Representatives approved a measure that requires drivers to shift lanes when passing collection vehicles with flashing lights, a report by the Dayton Daily News says. The bill was passed on an 84-0 vote.

The bill, commonly known as “Slow Down to Get Around,” requires drivers to slow down their vehicles and change to a lane away from a collection vehicle if traveling on a roadway with multiple lanes in the same direction. Drivers who do not adhere to the law will face a minor misdemeanor moving violation and a $300 fine, plus court costs.

The bill was approved by the Senate in a 32-0 vote in October.

Sixteen other states have passed similar legislation, including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York and West Virginia. According to the National Waste and Recycling Association, Arlington, Virginia, a single collection truck can make 600 to 900 stops per day. Waste collectors have the fifth highest death rate among civilian jobs.

A move-over requirement currently applies for public safety vehicles. The law applying to emergency workers went into effect September 1999 after the deaths of Centerville, Ohio, police officer John Kalaman and Washington Township, Ohio, firefighter Robert O’Toole in January 1998.