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What can happen if you don’t Slow Down and Move Over
By BC Highway Patrol
An Alberta man has been sentenced for dangerous driving after running over a tow truck and a Mercedes in his tractor trailer- in spite of activated and flashing lights on the tow truck.
Police are releasing dash-camera video from the tractor-trailer (see below), the tow truck and the police cruiser to illustrate the consequences when drivers do not “Slow Down and Move Over” in the presence of flashing amber, or blue and red lights.
On December 8, 2023, a BC Highway Patrol officer was working with a tow truck operator to impound a Mercedes for excessive speeding on Highway 1, just west of Field, in Yoho National Park. The tow truck had its flashing amber lights activated to warn drivers to Slow Down and Move Over.
Just after 9:30 p.m., 38-year-old Dalvir Singh Jhattu ignored the flashing lights and drove his eastbound tractor trailer straight up the back of the tow truck, destroying the tow truck, the tractor trailer, and the Mercedes.
“Luckily the tow truck operator, the police officer, and the Mercedes driver were safely off to the side of the road, or they would certainly have been killed,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “The tractor-trailer driver could easily have died as his truck rolled over and he became trapped.”
The Slow Down Move Over law is meant to avoid this situation. When flashing amber or red/blue lights are present, the law requires:
- All drivers to slow down to under 70 km/h when the speed limit is over 80 km/h;
- Drivers move to the farthest safe and legal driving lane away from the flashing lights and emergency responders.
As a result of the crash, Jhattu was found guilty of dangerous driving, section 320.13(1) of the Criminal Code. On April 8, 2026, he was sentenced to the following:
- A six-month conditional sentence order;
- 90 days of house arrest;
- A 12-month Canada-wide driving ban;
Conditions that include no possession or consumption of alcohol, drugs or intoxicating substances.
“Normal speed limits exist for ideal conditions,” said Cpl. McLaughlin. “When road workers or emergency responders are at the side of the road, you are legally required to slow down even more.”
Lead image: A destroyed tow truck after it was struck by a tractor trailer that failed to Slow Down and Move Over. BC Highway Patrol photos
