Move Over highway law now includes utility workers

When Alliant Energy lineman Corey Birkel heard last year about Georgia's inclusion of utility workers in that state's Move Over law, he wondered why Iowa couldn't do that, too.

After reaching out to lobbyists and getting Iowa utilities Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy on board, Birkel's wish eventually came true. On July 1, Iowa's Move Over, Slow Down law - which includes emergency vehicles such as police cars, firetrucks and ambulances - expanded to include garbage, tow and bucket trucks, as well as all other utility vehicles.

While Birkel, who works with Alliant's Dubuque Operations Center, said Friday he has been fortunate to avoid vehicle-related injury in his more than 11 years with Alliant, he has had a few close calls.

The gap between worker and moving traffic can be less than a few feet sometimes, he said.

'There's times you can feel the breeze when a car or big truck goes by. You definitely know there are vehicles behind you,” he said.

While all states have 'move over” laws, Iowa joins only 12 with added provisions specifically for utility service vehicles, according to an Alliant June news release.

Failure to abide by the law can result in a fine for the driver or having his or her license revoked.

To raise awareness of the new law, proponents of the change have launched www.moveoveriowa.com.

In the news release, Gov. Kim Reynolds supported adding utility and work-related vehicles to the state's law.

'It might seem like common sense, but many drivers don't know about the penalties they could face for failing to obey the law. More importantly though, many drivers don't realize the danger that passing utility areas without moving over or slowing down causes for both utility workers and themselves,” Reynolds said.

The new law comes in a time as Iowa public safety officials work to keep highway fatalities from matching last year's 405 roadway deaths.

As of July 7, Iowa's 146 highway fatalities this year is nearly 22 percent lower than this time last year, according to Iowa Department of Transportation data.

l Comments: (319) 339-3175; mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com