So I got a ticket tonight for violating the Move Over Act.

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: dabuddha
I don't get what's so bad about this law? From what I read, it seems that they require you to move over to a lane not adjacent to where the cop has someone pulled over. It seems like this would help keep the cop safe from traffic. Unless I read it wrong.

Basing a law on which around 10 cops a year are killed because the majority of the drivers were on drugs is ludicrous. If it was so good, why don't all of the states pass it and not 20 or so? It's on par with the Click It or Ticket stupidity, just another way to generate revenue.

Edit: Like apoppin said, if they were really that scared they could walk the driver to the other side of the car.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: dabuddha
I don't get what's so bad about this law? From what I read, it seems that they require you to move over to a lane not adjacent to where the cop has someone pulled over. It seems like this would help keep the cop safe from traffic. Unless I read it wrong.

Basing a law on which around 10 cops a year are killed because the majority of the drivers were on drugs is ludicrous. If it was so good, why don't all of the states pass it and not 20 or so? It's on par with the Click It or Ticket stupidity, just another way to generate revenue.

Edit: Like apoppin said, if they were really that scared they could walk the driver to the other side of the car.

i don't believe it is an "option" for Cops in Cali . . . they ALWAYS walk to the passenger side of the vehicle [or whatever side they are not likely to be hit by traffic].

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Basing a law on which around 10 cops a year are killed because the majority of the drivers were on drugs is ludicrous. If it was so good, why don't all of the states pass it and not 20 or so? It's on par with the Click It or Ticket stupidity, just another way to generate revenue.

Edit: Like apoppin said, if they were really that scared they could walk the driver to the other side of the car.

So whether a law is good or not is based on how many states have passed it? Like megans law this law is going to sweep the country, it only came to Utah 2 years ago so consider that your state is not a front runner on it but it will come within a couple years.

It's sad that this law had to be put in place, all it does is mandate common sense. It's also sad that so many people in this country value life so little that they don't bother moving over out of the way of traffic. Yes an officer or emergency worker is going to do what they need to feel safe such as approach the passenger window, but given the occupation that is not always going to be an option and standing on the shoulder with your gun drawn and your back to traffic the last thing you want is to get sucked out into the travel lane by a vortex of air or have a driver dazzeled by the flashing lights plow into the back of the officer.

As I said earlier the number of officer related fatalities has been increasing steadily over the last 10 years.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,575040697,00.html

Fordham, who has been with the UHP for 18 months, had parked his car in the farthest left lane of 600 South near 600 West. He went to the trunk of his car to get flares to divert traffic around the rollover, Riches said.

"The last thing I remember is being in my trunk and my legs were in excruciating pain," Fordham said.
His upper body was pushed inside the trunk. His legs were pinned between the patrol vehicle and the other car. He had a laceration on his head and injuries to both legs. His right leg was most severely injured.

The Utah Legislature passed a law last session that requires drivers to decrease speed and move over one lane from an emergency vehicle with its lights flashing, Riches said.
"There's a reason for that law. If you don't obey it, this is what's going to happen," Fordham said, referring to his injuries.

 

[dethman]

that's why cops are fvckers.

 

[greys2k]

the spelling is atrocious here =)

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Basing a law on which around 10 cops a year are killed because the majority of the drivers were on drugs is ludicrous. If it was so good, why don't all of the states pass it and not 20 or so? It's on par with the Click It or Ticket stupidity, just another way to generate revenue.

Edit: Like apoppin said, if they were really that scared they could walk the driver to the other side of the car.

So whether a law is good or not is based on how many states have passed it? Like megans law this law is going to sweep the country, it only came to Utah 2 years ago so consider that your state is not a front runner on it but it will come within a couple years.

It's sad that this law had to be put in place, all it does is mandate common sense. It's also sad that so many people in this country value life so little that they don't bother moving over out of the way of traffic. Yes an officer or emergency worker is going to do what they need to feel safe such as approach the passenger window, but given the occupation that is not always going to be an option and standing on the shoulder with your gun drawn and your back to traffic the last thing you want is to get sucked out into the travel lane by a vortex of air or have a driver dazzeled by the flashing lights plow into the back of the officer.

As I said earlier the number of officer related fatalities has been increasing steadily over the last 10 years.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,575040697,00.html

Fordham, who has been with the UHP for 18 months, had parked his car in the farthest left lane of 600 South near 600 West. He went to the trunk of his car to get flares to divert traffic around the rollover, Riches said.

"The last thing I remember is being in my trunk and my legs were in excruciating pain," Fordham said.
His upper body was pushed inside the trunk. His legs were pinned between the patrol vehicle and the other car. He had a laceration on his head and injuries to both legs. His right leg was most severely injured.

The Utah Legislature passed a law last session that requires drivers to decrease speed and move over one lane from an emergency vehicle with its lights flashing, Riches said.
"There's a reason for that law. If you don't obey it, this is what's going to happen," Fordham said, referring to his injuries.

Your sensationalist actions of bolding several quotes from an event that occurred under ICY CONDITIONS does nothing to augment your argument for this ridiculous "law". To quote again, "sht happens", and it 90% of the time happens when people are on drugs or under extenuating circumstances, like you linked with weather conditions.

Even had this driver (who injured the cop), it would not have mattered and the cop would still be injured today. It's right there in the second sentence, I'll quote it for you again since you skillfully neglected it:

Still, he never expected to be injured by a car that slid across five lanes and hit him while he was standing behind his Utah Highway Patrol car with its lights flashing.

[/b]
This was not a normal case. Get me stats on a normal occurrence where the driver was not under drugs, nor weather conditions, nor locust storms and we'll listen to you.

There's a reason why my state (MD) shot down this crap twice in the past five years. I hope you aren't for the CLICK IT OR TICKET crap either, lol. This is on the same level, like you said, use common sense. Officers cannot control the people they pull over, nor the people driving on the roads, their training is what is supposed to minimize these risks, not a BS "law" that is used to pad revenue like click it or ticket.

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
To quote again, "sht happens", and it 90% of the time happens when people are on drugs or under extenuating circumstances, like you linked with weather conditions.

Lets see your evidence. I would appreciate the link that backs up your claim that 90% of officers hit on our highways is related to drugs or "extenuating circumstances" (which of course is a convient phrase so that you can say anything is an "extenuating circumstance").

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
This was not a normal case. Get me stats on a normal occurrence where the driver was not under drugs, nor weather conditions, nor locust storms and we'll listen to you.

There's a reason why my state (MD) shot down this crap twice in the past five years. I hope you aren't for the CLICK IT OR TICKET crap either, lol. This is on the same level, like you said, use common sense. Officers cannot control the people they pull over, nor the people driving on the roads, their training is what is supposed to minimize these risks, not a BS "law" that is used to pad revenue like click it or ticket.

No, not necessary a normal case, it was the first link I found. Here's some others with a a miniscule bit more research behind them.

http://www.respondersafety.com/news/2002/june/12_va.html

http://wjz.com/localstories/local_story_161173344.html

http://news14charlotte.com/content/head...t.asp?SecID=41&ArID=93980&addvid=61327

http://officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=24080

http://www.respondersafety.com/news/2005/0426_notMD.html

n some ways I'm not offended at MSP position. I personally don't love move-over laws. I truly wish that as a society we were still at a point where common sense and good judgment prevailed and where we didn't need to legislate everything from moving over for a fire truck stopped at an accident, to buckling a seatbelt, to strapping a kid into a safety seat. However the statistics bear out the story. Respondersafety.com is posting article after article, day after day, about responders being struck because the American public is not exercising good judgment.

From the distracted to the drunk to the dozing driver, the American public is plowing into us with great frequency. I must admit that I have come, albeit reluctantly, to favor move-over laws because they are, in fact, better than doing nothing. They send out a very strong signal to the motoring public and establish common expectations about the rules of the road when driving around stopped emergency vehicles, and in many cases the laws have strong public education requirements and establish harsh penalties for violation, especially where these involve responder injury or death.

Oh and BTW, stop trying to change the subject to a seatbelt law, this thread is about move over laws.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: rahvin

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
To quote again, "sht happens", and it 90% of the time happens when people are on drugs or under extenuating circumstances, like you linked with weather conditions.

Lets see your evidence. I would appreciate the link that backs up your claim that 90% of officers hit on our highways is related to drugs or "extenuating circumstances" (which of course is a convient phrase so that you can say anything is an "extenuating circumstance").

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
This was not a normal case. Get me stats on a normal occurrence where the driver was not under drugs, nor weather conditions, nor locust storms and we'll listen to you.

There's a reason why my state (MD) shot down this crap twice in the past five years. I hope you aren't for the CLICK IT OR TICKET crap either, lol. This is on the same level, like you said, use common sense. Officers cannot control the people they pull over, nor the people driving on the roads, their training is what is supposed to minimize these risks, not a BS "law" that is used to pad revenue like click it or ticket.

No, not necessary a normal case, it was the first link I found. Here's some others with a a miniscule bit more research behind them.

http://www.respondersafety.com/news/2002/june/12_va.html

http://wjz.com/localstories/local_story_161173344.html

http://news14charlotte.com/content/head...t.asp?SecID=41&ArID=93980&addvid=61327

http://officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=24080

http://www.respondersafety.com/news/2005/0426_notMD.html

n some ways I'm not offended at MSP position. I personally don't love move-over laws. I truly wish that as a society we were still at a point where common sense and good judgment prevailed and where we didn't need to legislate everything from moving over for a fire truck stopped at an accident, to buckling a seatbelt, to strapping a kid into a safety seat. However the statistics bear out the story. Respondersafety.com is posting article after article, day after day, about responders being struck because the American public is not exercising good judgment.

From the distracted to the drunk to the dozing driver, the American public is plowing into us with great frequency. I must admit that I have come, albeit reluctantly, to favor move-over laws because they are, in fact, better than doing nothing. They send out a very strong signal to the motoring public and establish common expectations about the rules of the road when driving around stopped emergency vehicles, and in many cases the laws have strong public education requirements and establish harsh penalties for violation, especially where these involve responder injury or death.

Oh and BTW, stop trying to change the subject to a seatbelt law, this thread is about move over laws.

One of your links was due to inclement weather again. The other was about a cruiser that was blocking off the road so a helicopter could land, and a guy plowed into the clearly marked cruiser b/c his brakes failed. The 3rd link gives nothing more than, a trooper was hit on Rt. 70 (which is hick land, I drove past there every weekend for 3 years on my way to college.) Please, use your common sense here and answer one question: Would a Move Over law have prevented any of these crashes? No. They would not. People are still going to be crashing into cruisers at the same rate, because sht happens. Usually drugs or another variable like weather is involved which the officer has no control over. Not many normal people, under normal conditions will plow into an officer for the hell of it. And if they do, they are beyond help that any law could provide.

Your cut and pasted "editorial" of some pimple faced 18 year old EMT holds no merit on the fact that the Maryland State Police do not support this law, nor does legislature. Cops have better things to do than enforce another BS "law". States that have their priorities straight, with regards to law enforement, will not be passing this anytime soon. It isn't a coincidence that many of the states who have passed this are predominantly "rural".

 

[CaptainGoodnight]

I say the cop was awfully nice to you considering the fact you took a 3 ton vehicle traveling 55 MPH within feet of him.

<--- Knows an officer that recently lost both of legs in a traffic stop awhile back, in St. Louis.

 

[imported_xaguynamedguyx]

all i have to say is...OINK OINK OINK

 

[StageLeft]

I didn't know that was a law. I never move over for cops/emergency vehicles if they're on the hard shoulder. People who do BADLY fvck up traffic and slow it right down. Yes, if they are right next to the road I'll move over a bit, but if they are well onto the shoulder I won't. I didn't even know it was a law. I can see why they have it because a lot of idiots like to drive towards what they're looking at (invariably the pretty lights), but with heavy traffic it would just gridlock everything.

 

[Nomada]

I bet a law like this will cause more deaths than it prevents because of bonehead drivers not looking ahead until it's too late to safely change the lane. Of course they'll still move over; right into a fully loaded minivan.

 

[slycat]

yes, cops are asswipe pigs. well, ok, 95% anyway...since i've met 2 good/nice cops in my lifetime.

 

[CaptainGoodnight]

Originally posted by: slycat
yes, cops are asswipe pigs. well, ok, 95% anyway...since i've met 2 good/nice cops in my lifetime.

Here is a fine example of what they have to deal with everyday.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I didn't know that was a law. I never move over for cops/emergency vehicles if they're on the hard shoulder. People who do BADLY fvck up traffic and slow it right down. Yes, if they are right next to the road I'll move over a bit, but if they are well onto the shoulder I won't. I didn't even know it was a law. I can see why they have it because a lot of idiots like to drive towards what they're looking at (invariably the pretty lights), but with heavy traffic it would just gridlock everything.

The idiots who stare at the cops are the ones who slow down traffic (which is why it also slows down on the OTHER side of the highway), I really don't think many people move over for cops unless there isn't much traffic.

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Originally posted by: cavemanmoron

Originally posted by: rh71
now I know, and knowing is half the battle...

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: CaptainGoodnight
I say the cop was awfully nice to you considering the fact you took a 3 ton vehicle traveling 55 MPH within feet of him.

<--- Knows an officer that recently lost both of legs in a traffic stop awhile back, in St. Louis.

He probably would have lost his legs with or without the law in place.

if the PD really cared about their officer's safety they'd direct them to approach the other side of the vehicle. . . . like in Cali

This law is plainly stupid and does NOTHING to protect Cop's lives . . . it does enrich your greedy state however.
:thumbsdown:

 

[slycat]

Originally posted by: CaptainGoodnight

Originally posted by: slycat
yes, cops are asswipe pigs. well, ok, 95% anyway...since i've met 2 good/nice cops in my lifetime.

Here is a fine example of what they have to deal with everyday.

if they weren't such jerks, then maybe they wouldn't have to.