(WISCONSIN) Emergency responders risk their lives every day helping people on Wisconsin’s roads — and state officials are reminding drivers to help keep them safe.
The Wisconsin State Patrol has named emergency responder safety as its November “Law of the Month,” urging drivers to slow down or move over when they see flashing lights on the roadside.
“When you see lights flashing ahead, no matter the color, please move over or slow down to create a safe workspace for emergency responders,” said State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan. “This includes our officers who risk their safety every time they step out alongside the road to talk with a motorist or respond to a crash.”
Over the past five years, 73 emergency responders have been struck while working along Wisconsin highways.
Under Wisconsin’s Move Over Law, drivers must switch lanes when approaching a stopped law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, fire truck, tow truck, or maintenance vehicle with its warning lights on. If that’s not possible — or if the road has only one lane — drivers must slow down. Violators can face a $263 citation, and penalties increase if a crash or injury occurs.
The state strengthened those protections in 2021 with Act 115, which creates an “emergency response area” within 500 feet of any emergency vehicle with flashing lights. The law bans handheld cellphone use and doubles penalties for certain violations in those zones.
Crash scenes are especially dangerous, officials said, because distracted or inattentive drivers can cause secondary crashes. So far in 2024, there have been 620 such crashes in Wisconsin, leading to seven deaths and 276 injuries.
Crash Responder Safety Week — a national awareness effort running Nov. 17–21 — will highlight those dangers and promote driver awareness. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the State Patrol plan to share safety messages through media outlets, digital campaigns, and electronic highway signs.
The reminder carries a personal meaning for the State Patrol, which honors two troopers killed in roadside crashes that could have been prevented. Trooper Deborah McMenamin was hit and killed during a 1989 traffic stop, and Trooper William Schoenberger died in 1993 when a semi-truck struck his parked patrol car as he protected the scene of a vehicle fire.
State officials say those losses are a powerful reminder of what’s at stake.
“Every driver can help prevent another tragedy,” Carnahan said. “Just slow down, pay attention, and move over when you see those flashing lights.”
For more on Wisconsin’s Law of the Month campaign, click HERE.
