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  • WISCONSIN’S ‘MOVE OVER LAW’ DESIGNED TO HELP KEEP OFFICERS SAFE

  • MOVE OVER: IT'S THE LAW IN DELAWARE

  • MOVE OVER LAW BEGINS IN DELAWARE

  • TROOPER ACCIDENTS UP, POLICE WARN MOVE OVER

    So far this year fewer people have died on Minnesota roads, but our highways apparently aren't safer for the very people working to protect us. Two months ago, a suspected drunken driver slammed into two officers at the scene of an accident in Minneapolis. They're recovering now, but what happened to them is all too common. The problem is many drivers aren't following the "Move Over" law. Six years ago, Trooper Ted Foss was killed when a semi-truck hit his squad and a mini van he had stopped near Rochester, Minn. The tragedy prompted legislators to pass a law for motorists when they see an emergency vehicle stopped next to a street or highway, to get over into another lane and slow down. However, since the six years Trooper Foss was killed, authorities say it's just a matter of time before a similar tragedy happens again on a state road. "The trooper right now is about to get hit. You will see this vehicle come up and spin out, and here it comes, it spun out. It was back here on the right, went over and changed lanes much, much too quickly," said Lt. Mark Peterson of the Minnesota State Patrol while viewing a tape of the squad accident. Peterson keeps a collection of videos of squads and troopers getting hit. He knows first hand what it feels like -- he has been in 14 crashes -- at least 8 making traffic stops. "We come out and we set up to protect a crash site where people are hurt -- so no one else runs into these cars," said Peterson. "Or (we) are making a traffic stop on the side of road and we get hit because people aren't paying attention." Peterson emphasizes he is not alone. "It's very, very common. For the most part, for troopers who work in the metro area, it's not a matter of if they are going to get hit, it's only a matter of when they are going to get hit." Beside troopers getting hurt, hundreds of squads have been damaged or destroyed in crashes. "When you get hit at freeway speeds, it is going to have a lasting effect," said Peterson. Most occurred during stops on state roads. Ironically, the numbers have steadily worsened since the Trooper Foss "Move Over" law. They jumped from 180 crashes in 2001 to 246 last year. The State Patrol shelled out $1.3 million to replace or repair the vehicles in the past three years. Only a small amount of that figure was reimbursed by the motorists who hit them. "Then when you put in the human toll that is workers comp -- well, well over a million dollars it costs our agency." The State Patrol has tried educating drivers with a variety of public service campaigns on what to do when you see emergency vehicles parked on side of road, but police say the message is just not getting through.

  • ILLINOIS SCOTT’S LAW SET TO TURN FIVE

  • TROOPER'S INCIDENT HAS SOME EYEING 'MOVE OVER' LAW

    Nebraska state trooper was recovering on Monday after someone smashed into his patrol car Sunday night, and some say the incident proves the need for a new law. Trooper David Samuelson was pulled over on Interstate 80 near Gretna Sunday with his lights flashing when his cruiser was hit from behind. Two people in the car Samuelson had pulled over were hurt, plus Samuelson and another motorist. Samuelson's car is the third to be hit on the interstate in the past two months, the state patrol said. Most states have something called a "move over" law, which requires drivers to change lanes for emergency vehicles stopped along the road. Nebraska does not, and it leaves the state patrol pleading with motorists to drive defensively and get out of the way of emergency vehicles. "They're happening with a little too much frequency. One is too many, but we're getting some people hurt," said Nebraska State Patrol Capt. Tom Schwarten. Last month, an official vehicle was damaged in Bellevue and a Hasting-based trooper was hurt in a collision similar to Samuelson's. Schwarten said troopers learn how to make safe traffic stops, but the public needs to be just as cautious. "The key to the whole thing is if we drive defensively, we're prepared. If we see emergency vehicles on the side of the roadway, we move over for those vehicles," Schwarten said. The captain said a lot of drivers panic and some even slam on the brakes when they see flashing lights. He said sometimes they're just not paying attention to the road ahead. "We see a lot of people taking photographs with car phones when they're going by incidents. People are just paying way too much attention to a patrol unit or emergency vehicle," Schwarten said. Many of the states surrounding Nebraska will ticket drivers who don't move over to avoid emergency crews. Schwarten said legislation is a possibility in Nebraska, but a law won't be enough. There is a law in Nebraska requiring drivers to move over for moving emergency vehicles. "There's research being done to promote this within the state of Nebraska, but passing laws and while they're on the books the issue is voluntary compliance and that is the key," Schwarten said.

  • RECORD NUMBER TO TAKE TO ROADS

  • NEW PUSH FOR SAFETY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

  • NEW ALABAMA 'MOVE-OVER LAW': OBEY IT OR RISK A TICKET

  • FLORIDA POLICE PUSH MOVE OVER ENFORCEMENT

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