This week Miami-Dade County is launching a campaign with a simple message: "Move It—Yes You Can!" Supported by the People’s Transportation Plan, the campaign is aimed at educating drivers that following a minor accident, automobiles need to be moved so not to block the flow of traffic. Sound obvious? Maybe, but many motorists have the mistaken belief that they should keep their car put while waiting for police to take a report. WRONG! 

According to state law, drivers must make every reasonable effort to move a disabled vehicle or have it moved so as not to obstruct the regular flow of traffic, as long as the vehicle is moveable and there are no injuries. Yet, many drivers are reluctant to do so with unhappy consequences—approximately 40 percent of all automobile accidents are the result of a secondary incident due to congestion caused by an earlier accident.

Miles Moss, Chairman of the Citizen's Independent Transportation Trust

You don’t have to be a traffic engineer to know that traffic incidents, including minor ones, account for much of our roadway congestion. The State Department of Transportation estimates every minute a vehicle blocks traffic flow, five minutes of congestion is created. These delays are not only maddening and dampen our quality of life, but have a real cost to the community in productivity lost while we sit fuming, and idle, in our cars.

This public education campaign is part of the County’s MOVN (Meeting Our Vehicular Needs) program, a public-private partnership aimed at finding solutions to traffic congestion in our community. Over the next several months, Miami-Dade and the state Department of Transportation are teaming up to tackle other bad behaviors as well.

Next on the list are the legions of careless drivers who create gridlock by blocking intersections when they fail to make it through before the light changes. Don’t Block the Box is aimed at stopping this not only annoying, but dangerous behavior and keep traffic flowing freely through intersections. As part of the campaign, police are stepping up enforcement. Blockers beware: if ticketed you face a hefty $133.50 fine.

As part of the overall MOVN initiative, the County has established a web site to solicit ideas from the public on how we can alleviate traffic. Please e-mail your suggestions. To date, the County has received nearly a thousand ideas and inquiries. I encourage you to let us know what you think.

We cannot make traffic go away. But, every motorist can contribute to a better flow.