Provincial police in Ontario are asking drivers to give emergency services and tow trucks space when they're working at the side of the road.
The OPP is conducting a "Move Over" campaign this long holiday weekend because they are concerned by the number of drivers who have ignored Ontario's Move Over Law and place police, other emergency personnel and tow truck drivers at risk on the shoulder of the road.
The OPP laid 1,891 charges last year against drivers who failed to slow down and move over, marking one of the highest number of annual OPP charges for this offence since the law started in 2003.
"There have been close to 700 incidents in the past five years in which an OPP vehicle was struck by another vehicle while parked or stopped on the roadside," said Thomas Carrique, commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.
Carrique is urging drivers to slow down and move over if it's safe to do so to help roadside first responders get home safely to their families.
Under the law, drivers must slow down and move over if it is safe to do so for all tow trucks, police, ambulance and fire emergency vehicles with their emergency lights on.
Police said five OPP officers have been killed since 1989 after being struck by an approaching vehicle while carrying out their duties on the side of the road.
The OPP has laid more than 9,000 Move Over charges in the last five years.
