GEORGIA DRIVERS NOT MOVING FOR MOVE OVER LAW

No one likes to get pulled over by police, but it's far more dangerous for them than it is for us. Over the last ten years, more than 150 police officers have been struck and killed by cars on the highways. The Move Over Law, requiring you to change lanes, or if it's not possible to move safely, slow down when an emergency vehicle is on the side of the road has been a Georgia law for five years. Now, it's a law in 40 states around the country, but police say some drivers are still not getting the message.

Every day that Sgt. Powell Harrelson gets behind the wheel of his patrol car, he faces one of the greatest dangers to police. "I've had a few close calls," he admitted. "You get on the interstate and you've got cars going by at 80 miles an hour. Open up the door and they're right there on you."

Sgt. Harrelson, with the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety, said 81 officers around the country were killed in traffic related accidents last year alone. Fifteen of them were hit by cars. He said that shouldn't happen with the Move Over Law, a law in many states including Georgia and South Carolina, requiring drivers to slow down and change lanes whenever an emergency vehicle is on the side of the road with it's lights on.

Sgt. Harrelson demonstrated just how dangerous the roads can be by pulling his police car over on the side of the Pooler Parkway to see how drivers would react. "In the short time we've been here, we've seen some cars move over," he said. "The good majority of cars move over, but we've also seen cars that could have moved over, but didn't. We've seen cars that partially move over but that's still in violation of the law and most of those folks were doing something else, like talking on the telephone or eating."

Some who couldn't move over, didn't even bother to slow down. If you're one of those drivers and police catch you, be prepared to pay up. The fine for violating the Move Over Law in South Carolina starts at $150. In Georgia, it's a steep $500. "I know everybody thinks it's outrageous that we charge $500 but what's a life worth? Police officers go out on the street every day and they risk their life," said Sgt. Harrelson. "People just need to slow down and pay attention to what's going on."

Sgt. Harrelson said if you notice a police car, wrecker, ambulance, other emergency vehicle or broken down car on the side of the road, merge into the other lane if you can. If you can't, slow down so you can stop if someone steps in front of your car. He said Georgia will be posting signs to remind drivers of the Move Over Law. He'd also like to see a question about it put on driver's license exams.