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Authorities Say Move Off Road if Crash Doesn't Involve Injuries

August 19, 2005

So you're motoring along Interstate 4 to work in the morning and you suddenly come upon nose-to-tail traffic. "What's going on?" you wonder. More than likely it's just one of many daily accidents and the resulting congestion caused by what probably is only a fender bender. But, why does that prevent hundreds of commuters from getting to their jobs and wasting at least two hours of paid time?

The delay usually comes because the drivers involved in the accident are afraid to move their vehicles until after officials have scoped out the crash scene, according to Florida Department of Transportation spokesman Jarrod Cady.

It really doesn't have to be that way, and the FDOT has a program that explains how to deal with it right in its title. "Move It, Yes You Can," an effort of the FDOT, was introduced more than a year ago. Its aim is to inform drivers involved in minor accidents that it's OK to move their cars from crash scenes without causing problems later with police or insurance companies. What some motorists are unaware of is that a state law requires you to move a vehicle that's blocking traffic if it can be moved and no one is injured.