A short time ago New York State passed a new Vehicle and Traffic law that requires motorist to move over for a police vehicle that is on the side of the road or risk a 2 point moving violation ticket plus a fine and surcharge. This law as of January 1st, 2012 will expand to also apply to any official emergency vehicle on the side of the road, including ambulances, Department of Transportation, and other state and county transportation vehicles. The law states that if you are not able to move over, that you are required to slow down.
In addition, distracted driving (texting while driving) has changed from being a secondary offense, meaning drivers can only be ticketed for texting if an officer or trooper pulls them over for a primary offense like speeding or failure to signal, etc. The new law makes distracted driving a primary offense and increases the penalty from 2 points to 3 points as well as increasing the penalty for using a cellphone without a hands-free device while driving to 3 points.
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