ASHLAND, Ohio — Megan Auer, co-owner of Auer Towing and Recovery in Ashland, is tired of seeing drivers ignore Ohio’s move-over law and reached out to me because she’s organizing a Move Over Law Awareness Event and Fundraiser.
“We've seen a lot of close calls,” Auer said. “It is terrifying, and it's so frustrating because it's absolutely avoidable."
She said her husband was nearly struck on I-71 during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve 2024 while helping jackknifed semitrucks despite warning signs noting a crash ahead.
"And yet there are still people that did not listen. And when they came up too fast, too close, I saw them come within an inch of striking my husband and the trooper jumped. It's absolutely terrifying,” Auer said.
Ohio’s law requires drivers to shift over one lane or slow down if changing lanes isn’t possible when passing any vehicle with flashing lights on the side of the road.
Megan added that drivers shouldn't assume a work zone is empty just because no one’s visible.
“When in reality in our industry our workers are underneath the vehicles,” Auer said. “So they're getting hit with that road debris going by and the force of the wind."
To prevent more close calls, she’s hosting the awareness event and fundraiser Saturday, Oct. 17, at the new Mifflin Twp. volunteer fire station, located at 16 Maine St. in Ashland, from 2 to 6 p.m.
I asked Auer what she wants people to walk away with.
“To put a face to the cause,” Auer said. “See that it is your everyday people and their families and you see them and you see who is actually involved and who it is that is risking their lives out there. And the least you can do is just move over."
Entry to the event is free, as are the family-friendly activities, including a “touch a truck” opportunity to explore vehicles used by first responders, games, opportunities to buy food, and presentations from guest speakers, including a trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a firefighter and a tow truck driver.
Visitors can also enter raffles and bid on auctions.
Proceeds will go to the American Traffic Safety Services Foundation.
“They help families that have lost loved ones. Their children can go for scholarships," Auer said. "They also help with teen education... an online course that's free for all teen drivers."
