ATLANTA — The Georgia House has overwhelmingly approved legislation that would require drivers to pull to the right shoulder of the roadway when being pulled over by police.
Lawmakers say the goal of the measure is to protect everyone involved in a traffic stop. The bill now heads to the State Senate for consideration.
State Rep. Marvin Lim, the bill’s sponsor, said moving to the left shoulder is dangerous.
“That’s a passing lane where people are going quite fast; we also know that the general left shoulder lanes are not going to be anywhere near as wide as right shoulder lanes,” Lim said.
Lim said the measure is intended to create consistency and clarity.
“We were inspired by the idea to create not just a law, but consistency that we would also create the clarity that would lead to safer practices,” Lim said.
State Rep. Clint Crowe, the Public Safety Committee chair and a former police officer, said he supports the bill.
“Until you’ve stood on the side of the interstate with cars going by at 70+, you don’t know how dangerous it is,” Crowe said.
“I think it just increases the safety not only for the officers, but for the drivers that are being stopped as well getting them farther off the road,” Crowe said.
According to FBI data, 17 law enforcement officers were killed nationwide in 2024 after being struck by vehicles.
The legislation does not include specific penalties for violators. It now awaits a vote in the State Senate.
The bill comes more than 20 years after Georgia’s “Move Over Law” took effect. That law requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down below the speed limit when they see flashing lights on the side of the road.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.