This happens way too many times and it seems many people don't realize it is against the law. When an officer makes a traffic stop and are pulled over on the shoulder, it is required by the 'Move Over/Slow Down'Texas Law for drivers to yield police, fire and emergency vehicles when lights are flashing. It's actually quite a heavy financial penalty if your violate this law.


Texas Highway Patrol Corporal James Wright was way to close for comfort (see video above) when a vehicle struck his last year when he pulled over to help another trooper on a traffic stop. As seen in the video, the officer had to jump out of the way when a driver slammed into his patrol car. He was very lucky he told ABC news as he only walked away with a sprained ankle, bumps and bruises. But he pleads for the public to adhere to this rule for the safety of is colleagues.

Texas DPS Sergeant Stephen Woodard said this in a statement;

It's your responsibility as a TX driver to move over for any police officer, trooper, deputy, ambulance worker, fire truck, wrecker truck driver, or TxDOT worker that's actually on the side of the road with their emergency lights on. If you cannot vacate to the next lane, please slow down 20 miles below the speed limit.

Eleven state troopers were hit by vehicles who didn't slow down in 2015. So far this year, four have been struck.

Woodard added a sad statistic:

Since the inception of TxDOT in 1938, they've had 150 personnel killed on the roadways simply trying to do their job.

All 50 states in the U.S. have some variation the move over/slow down law. In Texas if you're caught not moving over or slowing down, you can be fined up to $2,000 and if you hit an emergency vehicle, you could be looking at jail time.

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