Slow Down, Move Over Laws: National Survey of Drivers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors, 2025

May 20th, 2026

More than 2,100 people were struck and killed while stranded or working on the roadside in 2019–2023. Included among them were drivers and passengers who exited disabled vehicles, as well as roadside assistance providers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services providers, and “Good Samaritans” attempting to help them. Slow Down, Move Over (SDMO) laws seek to protect these vulnerable road users. These laws generally require drivers in the lane adjacent to a roadside worker or disabled vehicle to move to a different lane if possible and/or reduce their speed. While details vary by state, every U.S. state has some form of SDMO law. This research seeks to measure drivers’ knowledge of and attitudes toward SDMO laws, as well as self-reported driving behavior in relevant situations, in a large, nationally representative survey of drivers.