DPS Ramping Up Move Over/Slow Down Enforcement

Southeast Texas -- The Texas Department of Public Safety- Southeast Texas Region is continuing our enforcement efforts across the region focusing specifically on violations of the state’s Move Over/Slow Down law. These periodic enforcement operations by DPS Troopers are planned throughout the year at various locations in Texas, with several operations planned in December. One of those operations will take place in the Southeast Texas Region throughout the day on Wednesday, Dec. 18. The Department of Transportation will be participating in a non-enforcement capacity.

Specifically, Texas law states that a driver must either:
• Vacate the lane closest to the applicable vehicles stopped on the side of the road (if the road has multiple lanes traveling in the same direction) or
• Slow down to 20 mph below the speed limit. (If the speed limit is below 25 mph, the driver must slow down to 5 mph)

Drivers should only move over if they can do so safely and legally; otherwise, they should slow down.

Data from 2018 shows that DPS issued more than 41,000 warnings and citations to motorists violating the Move Over/Slow Down law. Based on preliminary data in 2019, DPS has issued approximately 23,500 warnings and citations of those over 6,700 were issued in the the Southeast Texas Region for violating the law. #MoveOverSlowDown