SHERIFF: ENFORCEMENT OF WISCONSIN'S 'MOVE OVER LAW' TO INCREASE

Timothy Johnson (news, bio, voting record), 29, suffered severe head injuries after he was struck by a car while responding to a crash in the stadium interchange last Friday. Johnson's family made the rounds on Milwaukee's morning radio shows Tuesday to implore motorists to respect the state's 'Move Over Law' in the wake of her brother's accident. The "Move Over Law" was enacted in 2001. It means when you see deputies, tow trucks, snow plows or construction workers, you are to move over to the center lane. In the days since Johnson was hit, people are saying they had never heard of such a law.

"Although we will never understand all the why questions, perhaps we can understand how this may have been prevented in the first place. It seems quite simple: people just don't move over or slow down. It has been amazing to hear how many people we talk to admit that they really did not know it was a law to move over when an officer is involved in a pull over on the highway," Johnson's sister, Michelle Trawicki, said in a statement. The sheriff's department said they issued nine citations in 2005 to people who violated the Move Over Law. In 2006, that number rose to almost 200. The fine is $252 and three points off of your driver's license. Sheriff David Clarke said the crackdown will be more intense in 2007 because drivers must get the message.

"We have people's attention, and so now is the time I think and we have done that, gone about the difficult task of changing human behavior in terms of how we drive," Clarke said. Trawicki has a second brother and a cousin who are sheriff's deputies. Her concern is for them and all law enforcement officers, so she's doing her part now to educate the public. "The reality of the dangers have hit home for us, let's not wait for them to hit home for others," Trawicki said. The driver who hit Deputy Johnson is 25 years old and seven months pregnant. She was taken to the hospital following the accident for observation. The District Attorney's office is reviewing the case and has not determined if a citation will be issued.