JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (Note: The video above is from a previous related report.)
If you remember nothing else in this story, remember these four words.
Slow down. Move over.
Something that simple is imperative to Crash Responder Safety Week. Since Jan. 1 of this year, 54 first responder fatalities have occurred in the United States.
That includes 23 law enforcement officers, seven fire and EMS workers, 18 towing personnel, one mechanic and two Road Rangers.
Florida and Georgia both have the Move Over Law. It requires drivers to move over a lane when passing an emergency or service vehicle with its lights on. And if the driver cannot move over, he or she must slow down to 20 mph under the posted speed limit when passing.
Crash Responders Safety Week runs from Nov. 8 through 14 of 2021.