Law Enforcement Officers Lose Lives To Oblivious Drivers

CLEARWATER, FL – Flashing red and blue lights and uniformed police officers apparently weren’t enough of a sign to motorists that Clearwater Police were working a road emergency ahead of them.

On Saturday, Aug. 12, Clearwater Police vehicles were rear-ended by two different drivers who failed to see the obvious signs that police vehicles were stopped on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. As a result, three Clearwater Police officers ended up going to the hospital with minor injuries (see related story).

At 3:04 a.m., a Clearwater Police officer responded to a call about a disabled vehicle blocking lanes on the causeway. While waiting for a tow truck to arrive, a driver crashed into the back of the police-issued Ford Explorer.

Within minutes, two more officers arrived to investigate the accident when another car came along and rear-ended one of their police cars, creating a chain reaction that pushed the two police vehicles into one another.

One driver blamed the crash on the fact that he glanced down at his cell phone. The other said he fell asleep at the wheel.

The problem isn’t isolated to Clearwater Police.

On Aug. 16, two Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies were conducting a traffic stop on Bryan Dairy Road. They, too, had flashing lights activated and one of the uniformed deputies was standing outside the sheriff’s vehicle (see related story).

Nevertheless, an SUV came along and rammed the rear of one of the sheriff’s vehicles, pushing it into the other sheriff’s vehicle.

Another crash on U.S. 19 in Palm Harbor sent a Florida Highway Patrol trooper to the hospital on July 3.

Two troopers were conducting a traffic stop when a taxi cut off a driver, who took evasive action and lost control on the wet pavement. The SUV spun off the road and struck both FHP patrol cars (see related story).

In all these cases, the law enforcement officers were lucky. They sustained only minor injuries.

A similar accident ended the life of 23-year-old Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Seguin in 2006 despite the fact that the Florida Legislature passed the statewide “Move Over” law in 2002 requiring drivers to pull over to another lane or slow down when they see law enforcement vehicles stopped on the road ahead.

It’s a danger that Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Steve Gaskins knows all too well. In 2009, Gaskins was parked in the emergency lane of Interstate 4 in Polk County to assist two motorcyclists when a car crashed into the passenger side of his patrol car. One of the motorcyclists had to leap a guardrail to escape being struck. Gaskins received neck and shoulder injuries.

According to Move Over, America, 213 law enforcement officers nationwide were struck and killed between 1999 and 2014 while pulled over working an accident scene or conducting a traffic stop.

To date, 43 states have passed laws requiring motorists to move over and change lanes for the safety of law enforcement officers and other emergency workers stopped on roadsides.

Nevertheless, a poll by the National Safety Commission revealed that 71 percent of American's have never heard of "Move Over" laws.

While most drivers understand that they are required to pull over to allow emergency vehicles with flashing lights and sirens to pass, people still aren’t aware of the equally important law requiring them to switch to another lane to maintain a safe distance from first-responders who have exited their vehicles to perform duties along roads.

State law requires vehicles to move over a lane for emergency vehicles, sanitation vehicles, utility service vehicles or wreckers stopped on the side of the road. If a driver cannot move over, they should slow down 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit as they drive by.

Information regarding the Move Over Act is now included in all driver's education learning materials and on exams for new drivers. The biggest violators, therefore, are drivers age 30 to 60 who received their driver's licenses before the law went into effect.

Recently compiled statistics reveal that Move Over Act violations caused more than 121 crashes with more than 80 injuries in 2017.

Additionally, nearly 17,000 drivers were cited last year for violating the law. Failing to move over can result in fines and points on a driving record. The violation also carries a $136 fine in Florida.

To remind motorists about the “Move Over” law, the Clearwater Police Department conducted a traffic enforcement detail over the weekend along the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

Police officers made more than 120 traffic stops late Saturday night and into Sunday morning, issuing 42 “Move Over” violations. Another 35 speeding tickets were handed out as well including one to a driver going 127 mph in a 60 mph zone.

Video via Clearwater Police

A video from last weekend's enforcement detail by the Clearwater Police show driver after driver failing to move over for the police cruiser with flashing lights on the side of the road.

Image via FHP

Sgt. Steve Gaskins barely escaped serious injuries in 2009.

Image via Clearwater Police

Oblivious drivers crashed into three Clearwater Police cars on the Courtney Campbell Causeway Aug. 12.

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