FLORIDA CRACKS DOWN ON DISTRACTED DRIVERS

A number of deputy-involved accidents this week are prompting law enforcement to crack down on drivers who are not paying attention. Jim Solomon of the Orange County Sheriff's Office has a message for drivers. "It's real simple: pay attention," he said.

In five days there have been four accidents involving law enforcement officers hit in the line of duty. The most recent accident happened Monday morning.

Deputy Robert Ricks, an officer on routine patrol in Apopka, was hit by a truck and rushed to Orange Regional Medical Center.

Officials said early reports indicate the truck driver was at fault.

The string of accidents began last Wednesday as Florida Highway Patrol trooper John Carvello, making a traffic stop on state Road 436, was hit by a driver.

Carvello was not seriously injured in the incident; the driver was charged with careless driving.

Another trooper was injured Thursday in Osceola County at a construction zone. According to the FHP, the driver may have been drinking. Two Seminole County deputies and an FHP trooper working a crash Sunday on state Road 417 were struck by a car when a driver lost control. One deputy suffered a broken leg.

"You want to create as much as a safe zone as you can anytime you approach activity on the side of the road," Solomon said.

According to Florida's Move Over law, drivers must reduce their speed to 20 mph below the posted speed limit or move over one lane if they see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road. Drivers who break the Move Over law can expect an $80 ticket and three points on their license.