CLEVELAND — Soon we'll be getting into the holiday season and that means more people on the roads.
That's why this Saturday serves as an important reminder to 'move over' for first responders as well as road crews. On the eve of Move Over Day, Ohio leaders note that roadside workers and rescuers are being struck by vehicles at an alarming rate.
Since 2018, Ohio State Highway Patrol Troopers have been involved in 61 "move over" crashes. Those incidents resulted in two deaths and 56 injuries, with a range of severity according to OSHP.
"I can speak firsthand some of those injuries have been near fatal for troopers, we have some troopers that have had career ending injuries from the failure to move over and slow down, so it's not just these simple fender benders you think of these are sometimes troopers standing outside their patrol cars," OSHP Sergeant Bridget Matt said.
Sgt. Matt says they are actually seeing an increase in these types of incidents with eight OSHP cars hit in 2021 and 11 in 2022.
A total of 15 law enforcement officers were killed in these types of incidents across the country.
"Since 2018, troopers have given 26,739 citations for the Move Over Slow Down law in Ohio. Moving over helps protect everyone who works on or uses our roadways," Matt added.
Here in Cleveland, we've seen the devastating impact of what happens when you don't move over. Most recently, we remember the 2022 hit and run death of firefighter Johnny Tetrick as he was responding to an accident on I-90.
Related Stories:
- After death of Cleveland firefighter Johnny Tetrick, Ohio General Assembly considering stricter vehicular homicide law
- Summit County sheriff's deputy critically injured after being hit by truck outside Blossom Music Center
- Suspect arrested after construction worker struck by vehicle on I-90 in Westlake
- Ohio State Highway Patrol raising awareness of Ohio's Move Over law to keep ODOT workers safe