Connecticut: Troopers enforce Move Over Law
Connecticut State Police are conducting an awareness campaign to remind drivers of the Move Over Law. Beginning on February 22, troopers began aggressively pushing the campaign on social media, reminding people that if you see any type of emergency vehicle, highway maintenance crew, or tow truck on the side of the road you MUST either slow down or move over as you approach and pass.
On Friday, News 8 rode along with Trooper Alex Pearston in the Bridgeport area.
Pearston has been with Troop G for eight years and says his car has been hit at least a half dozen times while on the side of the road.
“It’s not a matter of if you’re gonna get hit, it’s when you’re gonna get hit down here,” said Pearston.
It’s a reality all troopers face. Five troopers have died from being struck by a car on the side of the highway in the state since 1960.
“A lot of people are more concerned what we’re doing and they become so focused on our job that they tend to stear towards us or come towards us,” said Pearston.
Troopers say every traffic stop or emergency assist comes with risk, for the responder and the other people on the roads. Pearston says he always looks for the safest spot to pull someone over and then takes his time assessing the situation before exiting his cruiser. As he approaches the other vehicle, he walks up on the passenger side.
In two hours Trooper Pearston made six stops, three of which were for failure to move over. Numerous times the driver said they were unaware the law existed here in Connecticut.
In total, troopers say they’ve issued more than 440 tickets statewide since beginning the campaign. Fines for failure to comply start at $181.
Related Links
Links provided with these articles were active and accurate as of the posting of the article to ResponderSafety.com. However, web sites change and the organization hosting the page at the link may have moved or removed it since this article was posted. Therefore, some links may no longer be active.