NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Not slowing down and exercising caution for vehicles on the side of the road will soon cost you even more.
"If we don’t get over, they can step out.... and get hit," driver Rodell Woodruff said.
If drivers see a vehicle on the side of the road with their hazards on, or emergency vehicles, the move over law requires them to slow down, exercise caution, and try to move over.
“Because somebody could get hurt, they might be working on the car, changing the tire anything," Woodruff said.
Starting July 1st, the ticket fines are going up. It will now be $250 minimum for the first ticketed offense, $500-$1,000 for the second offense, and up to $2,500 for the third offense.
“That’s pretty steep right there,” Woodruff said.
Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Kevin Smith knows how dangerous it can be on the side of the interstate.
"I had that situation during the February ice storm,” Smith said, “A box truck ended up hitting my patrol car while I was stopped on the shoulder working a crash, so there are a lot of people that it potentially touches."
That driver was ticketed for speeding.
"It’s just being cognizant and being courteous as far as moving away from wherever the disabled vehicle, the emergency vehicle, whatever it may be... to just give them that extra space," Smith said.
The Jabari Bailey Highway Safety Act" is named after a Memphis athlete who lost his leg in a 2018 crash. Bailey was pulled over on the side of a North Memphis road trying to help a friend jump a car when another vehicle crashed into him.
