Bill > AB409

This bill modifies Wisconsin's traffic laws to expand requirements for drivers when passing stopped vehicles on highways. The bill redefines and broadens the types of stopped vehicles that drivers must carefully approach, adding a new category of "disabled vehicles" alongside existing emergency and roadside service vehicles. A disabled vehicle is defined as a stopped motor vehicle displaying warning lights, using emergency flares, or having people visibly attending to it. When encountering such vehicles parked or standing on or within 12 feet of a roadway, drivers must now take one of two specific actions: either change lanes to a lane not immediately next to the stopped vehicle (if the road has multiple lanes and such a lane change can be done safely), or slow down and maintain a safe reduced speed while passing the vehicle. These provisions aim to increase safety for people stopped on or near roadways by requiring motorists to exercise extra caution and create space or slow down when approaching stationary vehicles, thereby reducing the risk of accidents involving stopped vehicles and roadside workers or stranded motorists.

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https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/asm/bill/ab409