Iowa Move-Over Law

What Iowa requires

Iowa has covered everything since 2018. Move over or slow down for any stopped vehicle with its flashers on, including a stranded car. Base fine is $135, north of $200 with court costs. Cause a crash and you lose your license: 90 days for property damage, 180 for an injury, a year for a death, plus a $500 fine for injury and $1,000 for a death (Iowa Code 321.323A).

Who you move over for, and the fallback

• Move over for: Any stationary vehicle displaying flashing hazard or emergency lights. Emergency vehicles, tow and recovery, maintenance, construction, and waste-collection trucks, and ordinary passenger vehicles with their hazards on all count.
• If you can't move over: Change lanes away from the stopped vehicle, or slow down. No fixed slow-down speed is set; absent direction from an officer, do one of the two.
• Early adopter: since July 1, 2018 the duty covers any vehicle with flashing hazard lights, including stranded passenger cars. The license-suspension escalators for property damage, injury, and death are the teeth of this one.

What a violation costs

Base scheduled fine $135 (roughly $200-plus with surcharge and court costs). Cause a crash and the DOT suspends your license: 90 days for property damage, 180 days for bodily injury, 1 year for a death. Injury adds a $500 fine; a death adds $1,000.

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