Move Over Day 2026
Stop by PA Turnpike service plazas for National Move Over Day events
Move over. Slow down. Save lives. The PA Turnpike is hosting National Move Over Day events on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at multiple Service Plazas.
PA law helps keep emergency responders and highway workers safe
For Tom Macchione, it comes down to common sense.
“If someone is on the side of the road, give them some extra space,” said Macchione, the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Director of Traffic Engineering and Operations.
But it’s also the law. Macchione will be among the PA Turnpike employees and emergency responders attending the National Move Over Day events to help raise awareness and give the public a chance to meet a few of these emergency responders.
Stop by PA Turnpike service plazas for National Move Over Day events Oct. 17
To help drive home the important lessons of Pennsylvania’s Move Over Law – and to have a little fun along the way – the PA Turnpike is hosting National Move Over Day events on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at these service plazas:
- Hickory Run (Milepost 86.1)
- Highspire (Milepost 249.7)
- King of Prussia (Milepost 328. 4)
- New Stanton (Milepost 77.6)
- Sideling Hill (Milepost 172.3)
Stop by to meet the people who keep our roadways safe, take part in family friendly activities, and check out some emergency vehicles.
PA law helps keep emergency responders, highway workers safe
It really comes down to common sense.
“If someone is on the side of the road, give them some space,” said Pennsylvania Turnpike Director of Traffic Engineering and Operations Tom Macchione.
From the perspective of a first responder, highway worker, tow driver, or the driver of a disabled vehicle, traffic is traveling by at 70 mph, wind whipping and cars rocking. Giving them a one-lane cushion or slowing down isn’t just the courteous thing to do – it is the law.
Tom Macchione is the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Director of Traffic Engineering and Operations.
Macchione and other PA Turnpike volunteers and emergency workers will be on hand at five service plazas across the PA Turnpike system on Oct. 17 to spread that message as part of National Move Over Day.
Find all the details and locations here.
The law requires motorists approaching an emergency response vehicle or disabled vehicle to move into an adjacent lane if it is safe to do so. If it’s not safe to move over, they must slow down to 20 mph below the posted speed limit.
Every state has a similar law, but Pennsylvania’s version sharpened its teeth with its latest iteration in 2020, instituting fines of up to $2,000 and a 90-day license suspension for repeat offenders.
It may seem like a common-sense law, but it is necessary – and it speaks to other issues on the roadway, including excessive speed and distracted driving.
An event like National Move Over Day is a chance to spread the word not only about the law, but also about what drivers should be doing whenever they’re behind the wheel.
“When you’re driving, your primary task is to pay attention,” Macchione said. “Even if you have a phone-connected car, you might be listening to a podcast or you might be on a call, and your mind will be somewhere else, and now you’re forgetting to pay attention.”
National Move Over Day also gives travelers of all ages a chance to meet the first responders and highway workers the law is designed to protect.
“It helps put a face on the person,” Macchione said. “If they see a live, real person, it helps the message sink in that these are people with families who deserve to go home at the end of the day, and the least they can do is slow down and move over so the workers and responders can do their jobs safely.”
And that’s the whole point of slowing down, moving over and paying attention behind the wheel. These are real people doing real jobs in circumstances where drivers can make a real difference simply by giving them some extra space.