With summer coming on and more travelers hitting the road, it’s important for drivers to remember and adhere to the Move Over/Slow Down law and use of the improved shoulders. Move Over/Slow Down DPS is asking all motorists when they see any emergency vehicles (including any police vehicles, EMS or fire trucks), tow trucks or Texas department of transportation (TXDOT) vehicles stopped on the shoulder of the road with emergency lights activated slow down or move over. Specifically, Texas law states that a driver must either:

-Vacate the lane closest to the applicable vehicles stopped on the side of the road (if the road has multiple lanes traveling in the same direction), or
-Slow down 20 mph below the speed limit. (If the speed limit is below 25 mph, the driver must slow down to 5 mph.)

Drivers should only move over if they can do so safely and legally; otherwise, they should slow down.
Use of Improved Shoulder
(a) An operator may drive on an improved shoulder to the right of the main traveled portion of a roadway if that operation is necessary and may be done safely, but only:
(1) to stop, stand, or park;
(2) to accelerate before entering the main traveled lane of traffic;
(3) to decelerate before making a right turn;
(4) to pass another vehicle that is slowing or stopped on the main traveled portion of the highway, disabled, or preparing to make a left turn;
(5) to allow another vehicle traveling faster to pass;
(6) as permitted or required by an official traffic-control device;  or
(7) to avoid a collision.
(b) An operator may drive on an improved shoulder to the left of the main traveled portion of a divided or limited-access or controlled-access highway if that operation may be done safely, but only:
(1) to slow or stop when the vehicle is disabled and traffic or other circumstances prohibit the safe movement of the vehicle to the shoulder to the right of the main traveled portion of the roadway;
(2) as permitted or required by an official traffic-control device;  or
(3) to avoid a collision.

If safe to do so, use the improved shoulder on fast roads to slowdown when making right turns. Watch out for bike riders and vehicles parked on the shoulder.