'Move over' crackdown declared a 'success'

LAWRENCEVILLE - Gwinnett County police Tuesday declared their holiday weekend "move over" campaign a success, saying they issued 79 citations during a crackdown on motorists who do not obey Georgia's "move over" law.

"During a three-hour period, the operation yielded 78 traffic stops where 79 citations were issued and 54 educational pamphlets (explaining the "move over" law) were distributed," Cpl. Illana Spellman said. "There were two DUI arrests."

That law requires motorists to slow down and move over one lane if possible when approaching an emergency vehicle stopped on the side of a road. But Gwinnett police spokeswoman Illana Spellman says the law is not just for emergency vehicles and their occupants. She said it is also for a motorist who might be stopped to change a flat tire or anyone just standing next to the road.

This weekend's crackdown was in memory of a Gwinnett officer killed on I-85 in 1993 when he was struck by a drunk driver while working an accident scene.