Road safety in California could soon receive a major boost with the potential approval of Assembly Bill AB 390, introduced by Assemblymember Lori Wilson. This proposal aims to expand the current “Move Over, Slow Down” law, which has long protected emergency and maintenance vehicles on state highways.

Currently, the law requires drivers to slow down or move over when approaching emergency vehicles, tow trucks, or Caltrans crews displaying flashing lights. AB 390 proposes to extend this requirement to all vehicles stopped on the roadside that display any type of visible warning, such as cones, flares, or reflective lights.

The initiative stems from years of tragic statistics. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 3,500 people died in the U.S. between 2013 and 2023 after being struck while outside disabled vehicles. In California alone, 72 individuals—including truck drivers, passengers, and roadway workers—lost their lives under such circumstances in 2021.

Wilson argues that an urgent modernization of the law is needed.

“All vulnerable roadway users deserve protection, not just official vehicles,” she stated. She also emphasized that California has been among the states with the highest number of fatalities in these situations, leading national statistics in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021.

The bill has already passed unanimously in the State Assembly´s Transportation Committee and is currently under review by the Appropriations Committee. Organizations such as the American Automobile

Association of Northern California (AAA NorCal) and the California Association of Highway Patrolmen have expressed their strong support, highlighting the need for increased protection for roadside workers, technicians, delivery drivers, and stranded motorists.

If enacted, AB 390 would make California one of the states with the most inclusive roadside protection laws in the nation, aligning with a growing national trend to strengthen common-sense safety regulations and prevent roadside tragedies.