COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina lawmakers are pushing to strengthen the state’s “Move Over” law after three state troopers were struck during traffic stops last fall, one fatally.
The law, first passed in 1996, requires drivers to move over or slow down for an “emergency scene.” But the statute does not clearly define what qualifies as an emergency scene, creating loopholes that defense attorneys have used to argue that routine traffic stops don’t apply.
“The old law, as it was written, specifically mentioned an emergency stop with an emergency vehicle,” said Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R-Georgetown. “But there have been some lawyers out there that have made some defense of these cases, saying that a traffic stop is not an emergency stop, and magistrates have agreed with them.”…