Mar 22, 2008 8:15 am US/Eastern
Drivers Ignoring 'Move Over' Law, Cops Say
Police Placed In Danger Of Injury
Enforcement Operation Underway In Broward County
WESTON (CBS4) ―
It seems like a simple request; if you see a police car or an emergency vehicle with flashing lights by the side of the road, move over a lane or slow down. In Florida, it's also the law but police say drivers are not getting the message, putting everyone from state troopers to paramedics at risk. Friday, they set out to get the message out.
In Broward County, members of the Florida Highway Patrol and the Broward Sheriff's Office teamed up to crack down on clueless drivers who see flashing lights and speed on past, often inches from troopers doing a traffic stop or deputies investigating an accident.
Enforcement teams staked out a portion of the Sawgrass Expressway in western Broward, looking for drivers who ignored an emergency vehicle with flashing lights on the shoulder.
When a driver zipped past, a trooper or a deputy pulled out and flagged them down, usually writing a ticket for at least the move-over law violation.
The area where police are staging the enforcement is significant to the law enforcement community because it's near where FHP Trooper Donald E. Jennings was killed after being struck by a passing motorist in 1995.
The veteran trooper was helping other officers at an accident on June 30, 1995 when he was hit and killed.
He was 33 years old when he was killed.
Within the past month an FHP Trooper's patrol car was struck and a Road Ranger truck was hit by motorists who did not make way for emergency crews on the shoulder.
Statewide, there were over 200 crashes in 2007 involving police vehicles stopped on roadways. Nearly 60 people were hurt in those incidents.
The 2002 law requiring motorists to make way for emergency crews covers police, fire, ambulance, tow trucks and road service vehicles parked on the roads with their emergency lights on.
Drivers must change lanes on an Interstate or similar highway, and on a 2-lane road they must drop their speed to 20 mph below the posted speed limit.
In addition to endangering safety workers, failure to follow the law can also be expensive. In Broward County's enforcement Friday, tickets for violating the 'move over' law were more than $120.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Miami Dade Officers Shot
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
