Almost 1,000 drivers did not Slow Down and Move Over in April

May 11, 2026 - British Columbia, British Columbia
From: BC Highway Patrol

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Slow Down and Move Over has gone straight to the pocketbooks of 999 drivers during the first ever province-wide campaign in April, and even worse consequences were on display for a driver who smashed into police in Coquitlam, and another who was sentenced for a hitting a tow truck in Field.

The Slow Down and Move Over campaign promotes a law (updated in January 2015) that keeps emergency responders and construction/maintenance workers safe while they work at the sides of our roads. 

During this year’s campaign, which is the first to include all police agencies across the province, BC Highway Patrol officers wrote the following $173 tickets:

The Slow Down and Move Over law requires all drivers to reduce their speed and move into the furthest, safe lane of traffic away from stopped vehicles with flashing red, blue, or amber lights. The law can be summed up with the 70/40 rule:

• When the normal speed limit is 80 km/h or higher, you must slow down to 70 km/h or less;
• When the normal speed limit is below 80 km/h, you must slow down to 40 km/h or less.

On April 28, 2026, just after 1:00 p.m., a white Audi hatchback failed to slow down and move over and crashed into a police SUV and a Toyota pickup on the Cape Horn Interchange in Coquitlam. The unmarked black police SUV had its emergency lights activated and was stopped at curb side to deal with the Toyota pickup after it had been stopped for speeding. Nobody was seriously hurt, but all three vehicles were towed, and BC Highway Patrol issued the driver of the white Audi hatchback with a charge of: 

• Drive without due care and attention, section 144(1)(a) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act ($368).

On April 8, 2026, a Calgary man was sentenced for dangerous driving, section 320.13(1) of the Criminal Code, after his tractor trailer destroyed a tow truck and a Mercedes in Field, BC, in 2023. 

While the 2026 campaign is now over, BC Highway Patrol encourages all drivers to be mindful of the summer construction season, and to obey the Slow Down and Move Over law for everyone working on our highways. 

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