Posted on 03/02/2006 6:22:13 AM PST by devane617
South Florida drivers who don't ''move over'' when they see the flashing lights of a law enforcement officer or medic working on the roadside may find themselves in trouble this week.
While some troopers are stopping speeders on several freeways across the region, others will be lurking on nearby overpasses ready to target motorists who don't vacate the lane closest to the shoulder where officers have the speeders stopped.
''People are not aware of the move-over law, or they are completely ignoring it,'' Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Pat Santangelo said of the legislation passed in 2002.
Here's how the project is going to work in Miami-Dade today and Friday, Santangelo explained:
A trooper in an airplane will be clocking speeders, who then will be stopped by troopers in patrol cars or motorcycles. From nearby overpasses, another trooper with a laser speed gun will be watching the lane closest to the troopers writing tickets.
When the second trooper spots someone not moving over or, if moving is not possible, slowing down to 20 miles under the speed limit, other troopers will be waiting down the road to pull over that offender.
Santangelo said one of the areas where troopers will be working is the Don Shula Expressway (State Road 874) in Southwest Miami-Dade.
In Broward, troopers will spend today concentrating on speeders, and on Friday will be working on I-75 near Royal Palm Boulevard with a combined speed and ''move-over'' enforcement, said FHP Sgt. Mark Wysocky.
Since 2001, there have been an average of more than 700 crashes a year in which someone hits a law enforcement vehicle stopped on the roadside or slowing down to stop, resulting in an average of more than 300 injuries a year. Since 2001, there have been at least three people killed in Florida in such crashes. Broward sheriff's deputy Ryan Seguin, 23, was killed Feb. 15 when he was hit by a car while making a traffic stop on the westbound lanes of Interstate 595.
''Nationwide, more officers are being killed by motor vehicles than by bullets,'' said Maj. Ernie Duarte, the FHP's chief spokesman in Tallahassee.
``We are urging people to help protect those who are protecting you.''
Guess this makes clear who they think the road belongs to.
Did you even bother to read the article?
If you don't want dozens of folks ridiculing you for your addition to the title that makes it look like you posted an article without even knowing what it was about, you might want to ask the moderator to remove your parenthetical editorial comment from the title. btw, did you read the article before posting it?
This can be true of the right OR the left lane depending on which shoulder is used for the stop.
And in Houston they've set up chains of 4 or 5 such "incidents" where each was used as just cause for another stop down the road.
Houston has also pushed through legislation mandating tows for stopping on the highway (including to change your tire). They say it is safer. My question is, why don't they pull the cars off the highway to write a ticket then or move the vehicles ASAP when there is an accident?
Granny isn't the problem. She isn't speeding to begin with.
If you are unable to get out of the lane adjacent to the breakdown/stoppage lane (LEFT or RIGHT, depending on the incident) you must slow down to 20 miles under the limit. I call this a rubberneck law because it forces drivers to drop the speed considerably in the vicinity of a traffic stop/accident.
It happens alot and the law makes sense, i wouldnt even argue the merits with anyone because if you dont get then you just wont get it.
If I were you, I'd beg AdMod to modify the title and make it a point not to post any replies to this thread.
He's probably referring to the folks who speed up to keep you from changing lanes, then slow back down when they are ahead of you. Not pertinent to this, IMHO; you can always take the slowdown option.
Wanted to see if you guys were awake...
Uhh....did you read the article...at all? This isn't about folks hogging the fast lane. Try another pass through the article, OK?
"Wanted to see if you guys were awake..."
Sure you did. No question about it. We're all used to people who comment on posts without reading them. It's rarer for the original poster not to read a post before putting it on the forum. You're unique, I think.
I'll be sure to tell Tchaikovsky the news.
I remember 30 years or so ago we would not only move over, we would pull over and stop in response to sirens and lights. Try it today in your juristiction. I have recently; the drivers behind me usually copy the behavior.
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