‘It’s the law’: SUV crashes into UDOT vehicle, prompting safety reminder

BOUNTIFUL, Utah (ABC4) — A vehicle with the Utah Department of Transportation was struck while crews were assisting a stranded motorist on I-15, leading officials to emphasize the importance of moving over and slowing down for emergency vehicles. According to the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), their crew responded to assist a motorist on southbound I-15 near Pages Lane in Davis County around 7 a.m. on Monday morning. The driver of an Incident Management (IMT) unit, Brad Evan, had exited his vehicle, when an SUV driver veered into the right emergency lane, striking the rear of the IMT unit. Fortunately, the IMT driver was uninjured, but the incident has prompted officials to urge drivers to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles. Evan said, "I was assisting a motorist...gave her gas and went to jumpstart a battery. While I was doing that, the vehicle that hit my truck, the impact happened. I heard a loud explosion at that point." He added that he was in a similar situation a few years ago, when another driver struck his IMT truck. He stated, "The last one was a passenger vehicle that hit me at 71 miles per hour. It moved my 18,000-pound truck 60-feet in park." Courtesy: Nicholas Rewey KTVX According to Evan, both occupants of the passenger vehicle were killed. Now, Evan and other UDOT officials are reminding the public what they are required to do if there are emergency lights. "Just like the law states, slow down and move over if you see lights on the shoulder, regardless of if it's just hazards," he stated. "Give them room to do what they need to do in their car." The Utah Department of Public Safety says, "When approaching stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights, drivers are required to change lanes." If you cannot safely change lanes, drivers are required to slow down and move over within their lane as much as possible. Additionally, the law requires drivers to move over for any vehicle pulled over with flashing hazard lights, UDOT or Public Works vehicles, IMT units assisting motorists, tow trucks picking up a vehicle, and law enforcement officers on a traffic stop. Failure to follow the Move Over Law can result in a traffic citation, and fines. The driver who struck Evan's vehicle on Monday was arrested for driving on a revoked driver license and failure to install an ignition interlock device, according to UDOT.