FLORIDA DAD: MOVE OVER FOR POLICE

Florida's move-over law

• When you see emergency lights by the side of the road, move one lane away from them -- if you can do so safely.

• If you can't change lanes safely, or if you are on a two-lane road, you must slow down to a speed 20 mph below the posted limit. For instance, if the speed limit is 65 mph, you must slow down to 45.

• Violators of the move over law may get a ticket, punishable by a fine.

Phil Seguin, a retired Fort Lauderdale police officer, knew firsthand the dangers involved in even the most routine traffic stop -- particularly in South Florida, where distracted drivers often zipped dangerously close to his patrol car. But nothing prepared him for the death of his son, Ryan, a 23-year-old Broward sheriff's deputy who was killed in February 2006 after he was hit by a car during a traffic stop in the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 just west of Flamingo Road.

''Ryan was the best son a man could ever ask for, a good man and an exceptional deputy,'' Phil Seguin said, his eyes filling with tears as he recounted his son's life. Now Seguin is lending his voice to a nationwide public awareness campaign designed to inform motorists about laws in 40 states -- including Florida -- that require them to change lanes or slow down to protect police officers and other emergency workers.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund estimates that more than 150 police officers have been killed since 1997 along U.S. highways -- and that number does not include ambulance workers, firefighters and tow-truck operators. ''It may be a minor inconvenience for the public, but I think our law enforcement officers deserve no less,'' said Ken Underwood, president of the National Safety Commission, which teamed up with the National Sheriffs' Association and the National Association of Police Organizations to launch the campaign.

Forty states have passed ''Move Over'' laws, most of which require motorists to move over and change lanes to give safe clearance to emergency vehicles with their lights flashing. This includes police cars, firetrucks and ambulances. If drivers can't change lanes or are driving on two-lane roads, they are to slow down to at least 20 mph under the posted speed limit -- for instance, slowing to 45 mph in a 65 zone.

But a poll conducted for the group found that 71 percent of those surveyed had not heard about the laws. It did find, however, that 86 percent supported enacting such laws in all 50 states. The campaign includes a public service announcement that will be distributed to television stations across the country. The ad can be seen at www.moveoveramerica.com, along with a state-by-state map that lists their laws.

Underwood noted that even during the filming of the ad -- in Northeast Florida's St. Johns County -- extra law enforcement officers had to be called in to keep careless motorists from clipping the sheriff's patrol car used in the tape.

Seguin said he hopes the ad will persuade drivers to stay alert to police cars by the side of the road. ''It's senseless not to move over,'' Seguin said. ``Ryan's death was such a needless tragedy.''