MADISON, WI. – Governor Tony Evers has signed Act 54 into law, expanding Wisconsin’s Move Over, Slow Down requirements to protect all motorists stopped on the side of the road. Lawmakers and safety advocates thanked the Governor for taking action to close a long-standing gap in roadside safety.
Previously, Wisconsin law required drivers to move over or slow down only for emergency vehicles, tow trucks, and roadside assistance vehicles. Act 54 now extends these same protections to any disabled vehicle displaying hazard lights, flares, reflective markers, or attended by someone outside the vehicle.
“Thank you to Governor Evers for signing this life-saving legislation,” said Representative Piwowarczyk. “Anyone stranded on the side of a roadway is at risk. This law ensures that every person—regardless of whether they are a first responder or simply a driver in distress—receives equal protection.”
Between 2017 and 2021, more than 1,800 people nationwide were killed after exiting a disabled vehicle—an average of 325 deaths per year, many of them preventable. Wisconsin has seen its own tragedies, including a Beaver Dam woman struck and killed while assisting after a crash on Highway 151, and a semi driver fatally hit while changing a tire near Rothschild.
Twenty-eight other states, including all of Wisconsin’s neighbors, have already adopted similar protections. With Act 65, Wisconsin joins this broader effort to reduce roadside injuries and deaths.
“This is not a political issue,” added Rep. Piwowarczyk. “It’s about protecting human life. These tragedies are preventable, and this law moves us closer to safer roads for everyone.”
