Drivers urged to obey Move Over Law, after motorist crashes into FHP cruiser, injuring trooper
DAVIE - A Florida Highway Patrol trooper is recovering after his vehicle was struck by a car on the Florida Turnpike early Wednesday and FHP says the accident calls attention to the state's life-saving Move Over Law.
FHP spokeswoman Lt. Indiana Miranda tells CBS4's Peter D'Oench that it happened at 2:34 a.m. when a 2009 Ford Mustang was southbound on the Florida Turnpike just south of Griffin Road and rear-ended the trooper's 2018 marked FHP car, a Dodge Charger in a construction zone.
Miranda says the accident could have turned deadly as several people were working in that construction zone when the driver failed to slow down and could have moved over a lane.
She said fortunately the trooper with more than 15 years experience is going to be OK and received minor injuries. She noted that the state's Move Over Law requires drivers to move a lane when they see emergency lights or slow down to at least 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit.
She said the 22-year-old driver has been cited for careless driving. He is not being identified right now because FHP does not identify people unless they have been arrested.
Miranda said, "It was very unfortunate. The trooper's car was stationary in a construction zone where there were multiple cones and visible lights were on. I don't know if he was distracted by a phone or simply did not just obey the construction zone or warning lights and he failed to move over."
She said, "I feel people are educated about the law because the law is in other states as well but people do not care. They do not think about the law. They do not think about the speed limit. They are in such a hurry to get to point B that they are not cautious about the move over law."
"The message is stats that show that we had 191 crashes last year statewide involving people not moving over.
We actually cited 14,000 people just for not moving over. We are serious about the Move Over Law. We want everyone to be safe, not just law enforcement officers, but EMS and fire and tow truck operators. We want everyone to be safe on the side of the road. I am asking everyone please put your phones down when you are driving. Follow the speed limit and do not be distracted. Do not drink and drive and move over."
FHP says there was a similar problem with cars not moving over after a number of vehicles were involved in an accident around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday on the Dolphin Expressway when police were on the scene with lights on.
Lt. Miranda said FHP is checking to see if a dash camera recorded the accident. She said if that did happen, it's possible the video will be released to the media as early as Thursday.
