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If you have ever seen a police car weaving from lane to lane on the freeway, it can be hard to tell what the officer is doing or how you should respond.
The maneuver is usually a traffic break. Police use it to slow vehicles behind them and create space farther up the road for a crash, debris, emergency crews, road work, or another hazard.
Drivers should reduce speed gradually, stay behind the patrol car, and wait for the traffic break to end before returning to normal freeway speed.
This guide explains why police use this maneuver, why the patrol car moves across several lanes, and what drivers should do when they encounter one.
The main clue is the combination of emergency lights, reduced speed, and repeated movement across several lanes. This is different from an officer simply changing lanes or moving around slower vehicles.
According to the California DMV, officers may slowly weave across freeway lanes during a traffic break to control the vehicles behind them.
The side-to-side movement makes it difficult for traffic to pass and signals drivers across several lanes to slow down together.
You may not be able to see the reason for the slowdown from where you are. The safest assumption is that the officer needs traffic behind the patrol car to remain controlled until the roadway ahead is ready.
Traffic breaks create time and space for something happening farther up the freeway.
Police may use them to:
In each case, the goal is to create enough space to handle the problem ahead without a steady flow of vehicles entering the area.
Driving slowly in one lane would not control the rest of the freeway. Cars in the other lanes could simply continue past.
The zigzagging movement spreads the slowdown across the full width of the road. It also makes the officer’s presence harder to miss and prevents one lane from continuing much faster than the others.
In simple terms, the weaving turns one patrol car into a moving barrier across several lanes. That gives the officer much better control over the overall speed of traffic.
Do not try to get around the patrol car. Instead, concentrate on slowing down smoothly and keeping enough room around your vehicle.
When you encounter a traffic break:
The California DMV specifically instructs drivers during a traffic break to slow to the officer’s speed, maintain a safe following distance, and not drive past the patrol vehicle.
Nevada law also requires drivers to obey lawful directions from police officers performing traffic-enforcement duties.NRS 484B.100 makes willful failure or refusal to follow such an order a misdemeanor.
|
What You See |
What Is Happening |
What You Should Do |
| Police car begins weaving across lanes | Traffic break is starting | Slow down gradually |
| Patrol car continues at low speed | Traffic is being controlled | Stay behind and leave space |
| Traffic slows heavily or stops | A gap is being created ahead | Wait and avoid changing lanes unnecessarily |
| Officer moves toward one side | Traffic break may be ending | Keep watching the road ahead |
| Traffic begins moving normally | The controlled slowdown has ended | Increase speed gradually when safe |
The terms are closely related, although agencies may use them for slightly different traffic-control methods. A traffic break commonly describes a law-enforcement maneuver that slows or stops freeway traffic for a short period.
A rolling roadblock, also called a slow roll or rolling slowdown, uses moving vehicles to control traffic speed and create an empty section of road farther ahead.
For example, the New York State Department of Transportation defines a rolling roadblock as a way to slow and control traffic so a section of highway can be temporarily cleared for work.
From a driver’s point of view, the response is similar. Stay behind the vehicles controlling traffic rather than trying to find a way around them.
Do not assume the traffic break has ended the moment the officer stops zigzagging. The patrol car may move toward the side of the freeway or begin increasing speed as the controlled gap is no longer needed. Traffic ahead, however, may still be moving slowly because of the original hazard.
The California DMV advises drivers not to speed up until the officer has turned off the emergency lights and traffic conditions allow a return to normal speed.
Increase your speed gradually and continue watching for emergency vehicles, debris, stopped traffic, or workers ahead.
A traffic break is intended to reduce danger, but drivers can still cause collisions if they react badly to the slowdown. Rear-end or lane-change crashes may happen when someone brakes sharply, follows too closely, changes lanes suddenly, or tries to pass the patrol vehicle.
Leaving extra space and slowing early gives you more time to react if traffic ahead becomes slower or stops completely.
Police may zigzag across freeway lanes to perform a traffic break. The maneuver slows vehicles behind them and creates an open area of roadway farther ahead.
Moving across several lanes prevents drivers in neighboring lanes from simply passing. This allows the officer to bring traffic down to a controlled speed.
A rolling roadblock is a controlled slowdown in which vehicles pace traffic at a reduced speed to create an open section of roadway ahead.
No. Stay behind the police vehicle controlling traffic. Official traffic-break guidance tells drivers not to pass the patrol car while the maneuver is underway.
A police car weaving across freeway lanes is usually a sign that traffic ahead needs to slow down, even if you cannot yet see why.
Reduce your speed smoothly, leave plenty of room, stay behind the patrol vehicle, and wait until both the officer and road conditions indicate that normal traffic can resume.
If sudden freeway traffic changes lead to a collision and you are injured, Gina Corena & Associates offers free consultations. A Las Vegas car accident attorney can review what happened and explain how Nevada law may apply to the crash.
Contact us to discuss how we can assist you in seeking the compensation you deserve.
As founder of Gina Corena & Associates, she is dedicated to fighting for the rights of the people who suffer life-changing personal injuries in car, truck and motorcycle accidents as well as other types of personal injury. Gina feels fortunate to serve the Nevada community and hold wrongdoers accountable for their harm to her clients.
