MOVE IT Fact Sheet

Click here to download the Move It: Maryland's Motor Vehicle Collision Policy (PDF, 104 KB) to keep in your vehicle. Also included is the form for you to complete when you need to MOVE IT off the road after a minor traffic incident.

Fact Sheet

• More than 53,000 people were injured and 643 people were killed in crashes along Maryland roads in 2004.
• Of the more than 100,000 crashes in Maryland in 2004, more than 2/3 of all crashes involved only property damage, with no injuries.
• Many drivers, when involved in a collision, leave their vehicles in the roadway and wait for police, significantly contributing to congestion and often causing secondary crashes.
• For the safety of all involved, if someone is involved in a property-damage collision and the vehicle can be safely driven, MOVE IT safely off the road and exchange information with the other party involved in the collision.
• MOVE IT is a collaborative effort of the Maryland State Police, Maryland State Highway Administration, Maryland Vehicle Administration, Maryland Insurance Administration, Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund, and local police and fire agencies aimed to educate motorists of their duty to MOVE vehicles safely off the road in the event of a minor crash. There is no need to call police or wait for police to arrive.
• To support the MOVE IT program, forms were designed and distributed to provide motorists a simple way to collect and exchange information about a crash.
• The Move It program was piloted in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties between 1999 and 2005.

WHEN IS IT NECESSARY TO CALL THE POLICE?

• When someone is injured
• When one of the vehicles cannot be moved and a tow truck is needed
• When a driver appears to be intoxicated
• When a driver does not have a driver’s license or will not exchange information
• When a driver attempts to leave the scene without providing the proper information

WHEN DO I NEED A POLICE REPORT?

• The police will complete a report if: there is personal injury; a vehicle cannot be moved; or a driver is intoxicated, unlicensed, or leaves the scene.

HISTORY OF MOVE IT

In 1999, the Regional Operations Coordination (ROC) Committee initiated the MOVE IT program following extensive research of other programs in the country.

The ROC Committee membership initially included:

• Maryland State Police (MSP)
• Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA)/ CHART
• Montgomery County Police Department
• Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service
• Montgomery County Department of Public Works and Transportation
• Prince George’s County Police Department
• Prince George’s County Fire and Rescue Service
• Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Additional agencies joined the ROC Committee in the past five years including:

• US Park Police
• University of Maryland
• Towing and Recovery Association
• Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
• Frederick County Sheriff's Office
• Frederick City Police
• Charles County Sheriff's Office
• The Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland
• Maryland Emergency Management Ageny (MEMA)

• Maryland state law requires that the driver of a vehicle involved in a collision provide to and obtain from the other party or parties the driver’s name, address, and license number; the vehicle’s license number; the name and address of the vehicle’s owner, the insurance company’s name and policy number; and the name and address of the insurance agent (ifavailable). This information is included on the MOVE IT form.
• The form, which is included below, is distributed by police and SHA personnel, asking motorists to MOVE IT safely off the road and exchange information with the other party if the vehicles are drivable and no one is injured in the crash.