Obey 'Move Over' Laws to Avoid Accidents
Quick answer: South Carolina’s move over law is S.C. Code Section 56-5-1538. When you come up on a stopped emergency vehicle, tow truck or recovery vehicle with its lights flashing, you must slow down significantly. On a highway with at least two lanes going your direction, move out of the lane next to it if you safely can. If you can’t, keep a safe speed. Amber and yellow lights count too. That’s the part that catches drivers out with tow trucks.
Last updated October 2026 to reflect the 2024 changes to the law.
Do you know what South Carolina’s “Move Over” law is and how to follow it?
If you don’t, you’re hardly alone. A Move Over law requires drivers who happen across emergency vehicles on their side of the road to make safety adjustments to their driving. However, many drivers are unaware that such laws exist and continue to put emergency workers and others in significant danger.
The majority of the United States has some variation of a Move Over law — although the specifics differ somewhat from state to state.
In South Carolina, the Move Over law is designed specifically with paramedics, police officers, firefighters and tow truck drivers in mind. However, it also requires drivers to treat temporary construction or roadwork zones — whether they’re marked by flashing lights or the standard orange construction signs — the same way.
Under the law, drivers who see flashing lights or orange construction indicators ahead on the road are expected to recognize the scene as a hazard and respond accordingly:
- Drivers should remain attentive and watch for workers and accident victims who may be either close to the edge of traffic or actually in their lane.
- Drivers need to reduce their speed. While South Carolina doesn’t mandate a specific speed unless there is a sign posted (like in constructions zones), drivers are expected to apply an abundance of caution given the time of day and weather conditions.
- If it is possible to clear the lane immediately next to the emergency vehicle or road workers by moving over a lane, drivers are expected to do so.
Why does South Carolina have a move-over law?
Laws like the move over law are in place to protect authorized emergency vehicles, law enforcement officers, and tow truck drivers who often have to work on the side of roadways.
“Move Over” laws are important because they help to create an additional buffer of safety for authorized emergency vehicles and workers who are often working in close proximity to live traffic.
How can you help?
The best way drivers can help protect authorized emergency vehicles and workers is by following the Move Over law.
If you see an authorized emergency vehicle or workers with flashing lights on the side of the road, remember to:
- Slow down
- Move over if possible
- Pay attention and look for workers who may be close to traffic
By following the law, you can help keep authorized emergency vehicles, workers, and yourself safe.
What Happens If You Don’t Move Over?
Breaking the move over law is a crime, not just a ticket. Under subsection (H), it’s the misdemeanor of “endangering emergency services personnel or operators of authorized emergency vehicles.” A conviction carries a fine of $300 to $500.
The law changed in 2024. Act No. 174, effective May 20, 2024, added interfering with the operation of an emergency vehicle to what drivers must avoid. It also extended the misdemeanor to protect the people who operate those vehicles.
The fine is the small part. The bigger cost is a person on the shoulder who doesn’t go home.
For example, in 2015, a long-time tow truck driver was struck and killed in front of his own daughter as he tried to load a vehicle onto his wrecker at the side of a South Carolina interstate. An inattentive driver who failed to spot him, move over or slow down was to blame.
While you can do your part to contribute to the safety of the state’s roadways, you or a loved one can still end up involved in a serious or fatal car accident because another driver fails to follow the Move Over law. If that happens, an attorney can provide more information on how you can pursue compensation.
What If a Driver Who Didn’t Move Over Hit You?
The move over law protects people on the shoulder. Sometimes they get hurt anyway. A tow operator hooking up a car. A driver standing beside a broken-down vehicle. Someone already in a wreck that responders were working.
If that’s you, the other driver’s choice matters. When a driver breaks a safety law and someone gets hurt, that can count when fault is decided. It’s one piece of the picture, not the whole thing. Lighting, weather and unsafe road conditions can be part of it too.
What disappears first? Dashcam and bodycam video. The incident report. The names of the people who saw it. Video can be recorded over. Witnesses move on.
Call Wilson Law Group, LLC at 803-245-7799. The consultation is free, with no obligation. Even though the deadline to file a claim may seem far off, sooner is almost always better. Evidence needs to be preserved, witness statements taken and insurance found, and those things need to happen quickly.
SC Move Over Law: Common Questions
Does the move over law apply to tow trucks?
Yes. Subsection (I) covers ambulance, police, fire, rescue, recovery and towing vehicles. Tow trucks often run amber or yellow lights, and the law covers those too.
What do I do on a two-lane road?
You can’t change lanes away from the vehicle. So slow down significantly and keep a safe speed for the conditions. Watch for people near the edge of the road.
Is breaking the move over law a misdemeanor or just a ticket?
It’s a misdemeanor. Subsection (H) calls it endangering emergency services personnel or operators of authorized emergency vehicles, and a conviction carries a fine.
What if I was hurt by a driver who didn’t move over?
Get medical care first. Then talk to a lawyer soon, while the video and the witness names can still be found. The section above explains why.
This is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice. Reading it doesn’t create an attorney-client relationship.
Source: S.C. Code Ann. Section 56-5-1538, as amended by 2024 Act No. 174, South Carolina Code of Laws, accessed October 16, 2026.
