JACKSON – On June 6, the Jackson Police Department, in cooperation with several other agencies, conducted a directed enforcement detail on North County Line Road to raise awareness of New Jersey’s “Move Over” law.
State law requires motorists to slow down and, if safe to do so, to move over and away from stopped emergency vehicles, highway maintenance vehicles and tow trucks that are stopped on the roadside and have their emergency lights flashing. The law is designed to protect emergency and highway workers from passing traffic.
During the detail, officers positioned themselves near a number of stationary emergency vehicles to watch for violations. As a result, 104 vehicles were stopped for “Move Over” violations. Police said the majority of the motorists who were stopped received a written warning, though some of the more serious violations resulted in a summons. Police said 12 summonses were issued.
Police said the goal of the detail was to increase awareness of the “Move Over” law in an effort to protect not only the officers, but partnering agencies in emergency services and the road department. Every driver who was stopped was given a pamphlet that explains the law.
In addition to the Jackson Police Department, participating agencies in the detail were the Jackson Mills Volunteer Fire Company, Jackson Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, Jackson Fire District No. 4, the Jackson First Aid Squad, the Ocean County Road Department and the New Jersey State Police.
Jackson police wrote a special thank you to Donna Setaro on social media in recognition of her efforts to bring awareness to the “Move Over” law. Setaro’s son, Marc Castellano, 29, was a New Jersey State Police trooper who was struck and killed by a passing motorist as he participated in a police investigation on Interstate 195 in Howell on June 6, 2010. Castellano was a graduate of Jackson Memorial High School.