Pennsylvania First Responders Sounding The Alarm Ahead Of National Move Over Day
BOOTHWYN, Pa. (CBS) - Pennsylvania first responders are sounding the alarm ahead of national Move Over Day. They say when people violate the Move Over Law, lives are at risk.
At Friday's event, there were two firefighters that survived the deadly crash on I-76 earlier this summer that killed firefighter Thomas Royds and injured a handful of others responding to a separate crash.
The driver in that incident, Jacqueline Walker, is facing third-degree murder and homicide by vehicle charges.
AAA says more than 90% of first responders polled said they had one near miss or felt their life was threatened, and 30% said it happened routinely.
The Move Over Law requires motorists to steer to the left lane in order to give emergency responders a safe distance to do their jobs. And if it's not safe to move over, they are required to reduce their speed to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit.
But Pennsylvania troopers say too many drivers are not slowing down or moving over.
AAA lost two tow truck drivers this year that were assisting motorists - included in the total 152 Pennsylvania emergency first responders who have been struck and killed.
"As of October 11, 2021, we had 50 emergency responders that have been struck and killed in the line of duty," Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Jessica Tobin said. "Eighteen of those were tow truck drivers, one was a mobile mechanic, two of those 50 were safety service patrol operators, seven fire and EMS personnel. And on average, just to put it in perspective, we have two emergency responders that are struck or seriously injured every single day."
Ignoring the Move Over Law could result in the suspension of your license, fines, and serious criminal charges if someone is injured or killed.
