VIRGINIA STATE POLICE SAY TO GIVE 'EM SOME ROOM

Issuing a speeding ticket can be life-threatening when cars and trucks are whizzing by at 60, 70 or 80 mph. Every day, state troopers put their lives on the line to serve and protect. Now, they want to remind the public to slow down - and change lanes.

Though a law has been on the books since 2002, troopers say many Virginia drivers are still unaware that if an emergency vehicle - any emergency vehicle - is pulled over on the side of the road, you must shift to the opposite lane. If you can’t change lanes, you must slow down.

“We don’t believe that the public is aware of the law,” said Sgt. Mike Woodard, who supervises troopers in Orange, Madison and Culpeper counties. “As a matter of fact, troopers have been cracking down and explaining what the law is.” Violation of the law results in a Class 1 misdemeanor. If a crash occurs, the court may also suspend the driver’s privilege to operate a motor vehicle.

Most recently, a state trooper was struck and killed by a driver in November 2006 in Southampton County. Senior Trooper Robert A. Hill, 42, was issuing a summons to a stopped motorist when a passing vehicle hit him.

“Since (Hill’s death), we’ve been looking at this law and trying to educate the people,” Woodard said. “Generally, most people do not realize that it’s a law.” More officers are killed each year in vehicular crashes - including getting hit on the side of the road - than are killed by shootings, Woodard said.

Of the 54 state troopers killed since 1928, 30 died from crashes, 12 of whom were struck and killed by a passing motor vehicle. “Sometimes people will rock (a trooper’s) car going by at 60 mph,” Woodard said. “It’s just real close. If you’re standing out there, it can be dangerous.” Troopers are taught to park their cars at an angle facing the road when pulling someone over, Woodard said. That way if a driver were to run into the front end of a trooper’s vehicle, the angled car would deflect the oncoming vehicle away from the traffic stop.

In about 45 minutes on U.S. 29 last week, troopers pulled over five cars as a reporter observed. But only a handful of the many passing drivers changed lanes. Some made an effort to move halfway over and straddle the yellow line, though that is not enough, Woodard said. “Not only does (Hobbs) have his blue lights on, but I’ve got mine on and I’m on the shoulder too,” Woodard said. “You can usually see the blue lights before you get to them, so it should give you time to get over.”

Trooper Ben Hobbs, who typically patrols Orange County, said nine times out of 10, motorists have never heard of the “Slow Down/Move Over” law.

“I actually had a tractor-trailer blow my hat off the other day out on Route 29,” Hobbs said. “It’s a little uneasy, but it’s just part of the job.”

Hobbs said working on U.S. 29 is not bad, but the roads in Orange do not have much of a shoulder, so the passing cars are much closer.

“It never fails,” he said. “People go by in the right lane when there’s nobody around. They’ll just buzz right by you. You have to move over if you can; it doesn’t matter if you slow down or not. But if you can’t move over, you have to back off your speed.”

To help educate Virginians about the nearly six-year-old law, the Virginia State Police produced a public service announcement that includes video of a speeding car swerve and hit a stopped police car. “I’ve probably written tickets for it four or five times, and none of them knew about it,” said Trooper Shane Nelson, who patrols in Culpeper. “Right now, I’d say 100 percent of people who I’ve pulled over didn’t know about it.”

Section 46.2-921.1 of the Code of Virginia states: “The driver of any motor vehicle, upon approaching a stationary emergency vehicle … that is displaying a flashing, blinking or alternating emergency light or lights … shall yield the right of way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that occupied by the stationary emergency vehicle or, if changing lanes would be unreasonable or unsafe, proceed with due caution and maintain a safe speed for highway conditions.”