Pennsylvania Move Over law: which lane and how much to slow

When you see flashing emergency lights or roadside warning devices in Pennsylvania, look ahead for people as well as vehicles. The Move Over law gives you a decision to make early: pass in a lane away from the protected area when possible, or use the required reduced speed when that lane change cannot safely and legally be made.

Recognize the protected situation

PennDOT’s Move Over guidance describes emergency response areas marked by emergency-vehicle lights, flares, caution signs or other warnings. This includes roadside police activity and emergency assistance, including towing and recovery assistance. Responders may be outside the vehicle and difficult to see.

The law also covers a qualifying disabled vehicle in or beside a traffic lane. Under 75 Pa.C.S. §3327, that vehicle must be clearly marked with at least two of these types:

• Vehicle hazard signal lamps.
• Caution signs or other traffic-control devices.
• Road flares.

For example, hazard lamps plus a warning triangle provide two marking types. The two blinking lamps of the same hazard-light system do not become two separate types. Give an unmarked stopped car a wide, cautious berth too; that sensible precaution is broader than the specific disabled-vehicle definition.

Change lanes when it is possible

Unless an emergency service responder directs otherwise, pass the response area in a nonadjacent lane, if possible. Section 3327 provides the same lane choice for qualifying disabled vehicles. On a roadway with two lanes in your direction with a scene on the right shoulder, this generally means moving from the right lane into the left lane when it is legal and safe.

Check mirrors and blind spots, signal and leave space. Do not force your way into another driver’s lane or cross a prohibited line. Start assessing the gap while the warning lights are still far ahead; a sudden swerve next to the scene creates another hazard.

If moving over is impossible, illegal or unsafe

The fallback is a passing speed no higher than the posted speed limit minus 20 mph, and still reasonable for passing safely. It is a ceiling, not a target to maintain regardless of conditions.

Posted limit	Fallback ceiling when a safe, legal nonadjacent lane is unavailable
65 mph	45 mph, or slower if safety requires
55 mph	35 mph, or slower if safety requires
35 mph	15 mph, or slower if safety requires

These examples apply the statute’s subtraction. They do not mean a universal 20-mph passing speed. A narrow roadway, workers close to traffic, poor visibility or directions from responders may require a slower approach. Follow traffic control and stop if directed.

Keep a moving emergency vehicle’s rule separate

An emergency vehicle approaching with the required audible and visual signals calls for a different action under section 3325: yield, move as close as possible to the right edge clear of an intersection, and stop until it passes, unless authorized traffic directions say otherwise. On a one-way roadway, the nearest edge or curb may be used.

If you hear a siren while approaching a roadside scene, check where the emergency vehicle is coming from before choosing a lane. Avoid stopping in the intersection or blocking responders’ access. Keep looking ahead after passing the first vehicle: people, equipment or additional emergency vehicles may extend beyond it.

Reviewed October 30, 2026. Compare these conditions with our Pennsylvania school-bus stopping guide.