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"Move Over" Law Not Being Followed in Virginia

By Ben Glass

The law is on the books in 48 states, but 71 percent of Americans are unaware of its existence.

According to law enforcement officers, the need for motorists to be educated about the "move over law" has reached a critical point after four Virginia State Police troopers sustained personal injuries over the past three months from drivers who failed to slow down or change lanes.

Recently on Interstate 81 near Blacksburg when a VSP road officer had to leap into his cruiser and across the driver's seat in order to avoid being hit by a tractor-trailer. The truck jackknifed after slamming into the trooper's vehicle.

In that same week, an officer of the Tennessee Highway Patrol was hit by a motorist from Florida while working traffic on his motorcycle at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Coffee County, Tenn. The trooper sustained injuries to his shoulder and ankle.

In February, Trooper K.S. Chapman sustained serious personal injuries along a stretch of I-81 in Smyth County when a drunken driver struck his cruiser as he was sitting in it on the shoulder of the road following a traffic stop. He currently remains on medical leave.

There are laws in place in both Tennessee and Virginia for the protection of roadside officers.

In Virginia , if a driver fails to change lanes or slow down in order to accommodate an officer working an accident or issuing a ticket may be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, which carries a punishment of fines of up to $2,500 and possible time in prison.

A Mason-Dixon poll conducted for the Florida-based organization Move Over America, which is underwritten by the National Safety Commission, showed that 71 percent of people polled were not aware of the "move over" laws.

There have been 151 officers killed in roadside accidents because of motorists who do not merge into another lane or slow down since 1997.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Ben Glass

Full post as published by Northern Virginia Personal Injury Lawyer on July 02, 2008 (boomark / email).