As part of National Crash Responder Safety Week, which takes place this week, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti is reminding motorists to Move Over for stopped emergency and work vehicles.

This year a total of 34 responders have been struck and killed nationally while working in or near moving traffic.

“During Crash Responder Safety Week, and every day, when you see emergency personnel and workers on the road, slow down and move over—it’s the law!” NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said in a statement.

“We all have a responsibility to protect those who protect you. First responders put their lives on the line every day serving the public, and we want to make sure they go home safe every night.”

To support the effort, Governor Murphy signed a proclamation declaring November 13 – 17 as National Crash Responder Safety Week in New Jersey.

The goal is to help bring awareness to crash responder safety and the dangers of failing to abide by laws established to protect first responders and motorists at crash scenes.

The New Jersey Move Over Law (New Jersey Statute 39:4-92.2) requires motorists to slow down and move over at least one lane, if safe, when there are emergency personnel and workers on the road. Otherwise, a driver must slow down to provide a safer work environment for all first responders, authorized emergency vehicles, and workers on New Jersey roads.

New Jersey is a leading state in Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training provided by NJDOT. It brings police, firefighters, medical personnel, transportation, towing, and other incident responders together to engage in interactive, hands-on incident resolution exercises. In New Jersey, more than 24,000 first responders have completed NJDOT’s TIM training.

This year, the TIM training became available online, making it possible for even more emergency and incident response personnel to access this life-saving training.

The TIM training program focuses on response efforts that protect both motorists and responders at the scene of a crash while minimizing the impact on traffic flow. Multiple agencies working together is a critical factor to safely and quickly responding to and clearing incidents