ROCK HILL — Assembly Member Paula Kay began her press conference on Friday, June 27, at the Rock Hill Fire Department, with a charged call to raise awareness of the dangers that road crews and emergency medical personnel face everyday: “I called this press conference today because I’m angry; I’m angry that the men and women who work on our roads who are our friends and neighbors are in danger. I’m angry because these people are working and fixing the roads that we’ve been begging and crying and pleading and asking for them to fix, and then we drive by them and don’t care about their lives.” 

Kay described recently hearing sirens from her home near Route 17 that represented accidents in marked work zones, “especially on the Bridgeville Hill [in Thompson].” Kay said earlier in the week, Department of Transportation (DOT) workers were injured while at work. “They’re out there doing what we’ve asked them to do, and we don’t care about them,” said Kay.

Kay said drivers of all ages and driving experience have forgotten about the Move Over Law and why it exists: “The purpose of the Move Over Law is to make sure that highway workers, tow-truck drivers, and of course, our first responders and law enforcement come home from work every night, every day; that they do not get hit or rolled or crushed on the side of the road while conducting an investigation, moving a car, or paving a stretch of the road.” 

Kay provided some context for her anger: “Since my election, most complaints I hear about in my office are about Route 17 in Orange and Sullivan Counties- how the potholes are craters, how dangerous the potholes are, how the roads need to be repaved, why isn’t work being done?” Kay said in order to do the necessary work to address these issues, we all need to do our part and observe the Move Over Law. 

“Highway workers deserve better; they are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers…. They are us, so why can’t we treat them with the same respect while they are at work that we treat others? Move over, slow down, respect the workers on the road- it’s simple, and yes, it happens to be the law,” said Kay.

Kay was referring to the Move Over Law that requires motorists to use due care when approaching an emergency vehicle, including police vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, construction and maintenance vehicles and tow trucks. The Move Over Law, which applies to both sides of the roadway, was expanded in 2023 to include all stopped vehicles. Drivers are required to exercise caution, slow down, and, if safe to do so, move over. 

Kay said she’s spoken with State Senator Peter Oberacker about the issue and that she is going to introduce legislation that would raise the points for a Move Over Law violation from the current two points up to five points. She will also request funding in the 2026 New York State Budget to have police stationed at all construction sites on the highway to make our roads safer.

Brian Soller, chief of the Rock Hill Fire Department, who has been involved in responding to the most recent accidents on Route 17, said, “I’ve been in the Fire Service for 36 years here in Sullivan County, and in that 36 years, I’ve seen some horrific accidents.” Soller said earlier in the week the Rock Hill Fire Department responded to a serious motor vehicle accident on Route 17 involving a New York State DOT truck in a work zone. “Thankfully there were no life-threatening injuries,” Soller said, “but this incident is a stark reminder of the dangers that our highway workers and our first responders face every single day.” Soller urged drivers to “stay alert, drive responsibly, put down your phones, and protect those that protect you.”

District 2 Legislator and Chair Nadia Rajsz said, “People are not only speeding, but when they see the signs for construction, they still stay in that lane and they make a last minute maneuver, which is creating more chaos. We need to protect our workers, we need to protect our law enforcement that have pulled over vehicles, so move over.” 

Legislative Chair of the Public Safety and Law Enforcement Committee Luis Alvarez said, “I’ve worked with the Sheriff’s Department for 35 years…. Of everything that I’ve ever done, I think the thing that bothers me the most was to actually go to the house of a person to tell them your son got killed in an accident, something that could have been avoided if the person who was driving that vehicle would have followed the rules.” Alvarez pinpointed the danger zone for motor vehicle accidents: Route 17 between Exit 116 to Exit 105.

Sullivan County Sheriff Mike Schiff, who just defeated challenger Tim Dymond in the Republican primary for Sheriff, said, “I agree with our Assemblywoman and I’m behind her 100% in upping the penalties for this…. The highways are dangerous enough, it’s not that big a task to move over to the next lane and give somebody some room.”

Wurtsboro Fire Department Commissioner Bill Lothrop said, “As a deputy fire coordinator, I represent three departments that are the three busiest departments throughout Sullivan County: Bloomingburg, Wurtsboro, and Rock Hill. There are more accidents, car fires, and incidents out on this highway in those three departments than anywhere else, and I’m being told, from Harriman to Jamestown, NY…. That section of road takes the cake, and we need to do something about it. I could not support Paula more than what she is doing today.”

MA-7/1-PaulaKay Assembly Member Paula Kay, the Rock Hill Fire Department, and DOT employees gathered to spread awareness of work zone traffic accidents and the Move Over Law