A 2021 Mississippi law requires the driver of a motor vehicle involved in a crash — one without serious injury or death — to move their vehicle out of traffic to minimize further hazards. This is if the vehicle can be safely driven to the shoulder of the roadway or another suitable location.

The bill, HB 811, was signed law in July 2021, and the Mississippi Department of Transportation is installing new traffic signs about the law across the state.

“Damaged vehicles left in roadways create safety hazards,” said Rep. Gene Newman, one of the bill’s authors. “When there are no injuries and the vehicle is still in working condition, it just makes sense to move it out of traffic for everyone’s safety — the motorists, the traveling public and the responding officers.”

MDOT cautions motorists to watch for workers installing these signs along highways, and to move over if possible to give them safe working space.