“Move Over” Law Takes Precedent in Hampton Roads

“MOVE OVER” LAW TAKES PRECEDENT IN HAMPTON ROADS

Trooper Struck on Interstate in Virginia Beach – State & Local First Responders Unite for Press Conference

CHESAPEAKE – Within days of yet another Virginia trooper being struck while working on the side of an interstate, local and state public safety agencies came together at a press conference Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008, as a sign of solidarity for Virginia’s “Move Over” law. Police officials from Chesapeake, Newport News, Norfolk, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Virginia Port Authority and Virginia State Police partnered with Norfolk and Chesapeake Fire-Rescue and Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services at the state police Division V Headquarters in Chesapeake to heighten awareness of the state law that requires motorists to either move over or slow down when passing emergency vehicles and personnel on the side of a road.

“For good reason, many troopers fear being hit by a vehicle more than being hit by a bullet,” said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent, at Tuesday’s press conference. “How many more ‘near misses’ of our public safety personnel is it going to take before the motoring public begins paying attention to their driving habits and complying with Virginia’s Move Over law?”

On Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008, Virginia State Police Trooper M.S. Walden became the third trooper in three months to be struck on the side of an interstate in the Hampton Roads region. Trooper Walden was stopped out with a violator in a red pickup truck in the eastbound shoulder of Interstate 264 near Mount Trashmore in the City of Virginia Beach. He had just gotten into his patrol car when it was struck by a sport utility vehicle (SUV). The driver admitted that she was talking on a cell phone when her vehicle ran off the road and into the trooper’s Chevrolet Impala. The driver then lost control of the SUV and it overturned several times before coming to rest in the roadway. Trooper Walden and the SUV driver suffered minor injuries.

On July 26, 2008, Senior Trooper Jesse Dennis and Senior Trooper Warren Desper were struck by motorists in separate incidents on Interstate 64 in Newport News. Both suffered non-life threatening injuries. This year a total of eight Virginia State Police troopers have been struck while working on the side of a Virginia interstate.

To safeguard Virginia’s troopers, the Department has spent the past year promoting the Commonwealth’s “Move Over, Slow Down” law. Drivers are required to change to another travel lane or to slow down and cautiously pass all emergency personnel stopped on the side of a road. The law carries a penalty of up to $2,500 fine and/or 12 months in jail.

In July, the Virginia Department of Transportation erected the Commonwealth’s sixth “Move Over” sign on I-95 in Greensville County as motorists enter Virginia from North Carolina. Additional signs are posted along Interstates 81, 77 and 64.

For more information on the law and to view “Move Over” public service announcements, visit the state police Website at http://www.vsp.virginia.gov.