A rmed suspects, roaring fires and natural disasters are just some of the hazards faced by emergency responders.
But police, firefighters and emergency medical service workers encounter one of the most dangerous situations in their line of work on a near-daily basis. Every time a cop conducts a traffic stop or a firefighter works an accident scene, they risk injury or death at the hands of an approaching vehicle — and the same goes for tow-truck operators and roadside maintenance crews.
The Woodbridge Police Department, along with other law enforcement agencies in Middlesex County, is campaigning through June 30 to bring attention to New Jersey’s “Move Over Law.” The statute requires motorists to shift lanes or, if that’s impossible, slow down and prepare to stop when authorized vehicles display emergency lights.
“What makes it so important is when you have emergency-service workers … either aiding the public or doing a job on the side of the road, and you have vehicles on these highways going by at 50 mph, it becomes increasingly dangerous for individuals on the side of the road,” Woodbridge Police Director Robert Hubner said.
The need for the law — and the public’s compliance — recently became clear in Woodbridge. A police officer parked his vehicle on the side of Route 1 as he attempted to secure an accident scene, and a vehicle that did not follow the state law smashed the patrol car, Hubner said.
“The police car in turn struck the car it was trying to protect,” he said. “Luckily, no one was hurt, but it’s definitely a dangerous situation.
Woodbridge police officers have sustained injuries in similar collisions in the past, he said.
Many officers choose to exit their vehicles through the passenger’s side when parked on the shoulders of busy highways, Hubner said. But that tactic does not prevent the onslaught of injuries, which happen more often than many people realize, he said.
The problem is compounded by the officers’ regular responsibilities during a traf- fic stop, when they often do not know whether a criminal is in the pulled-over vehicle, he said.
“So, it’s two-fold,” Hubner added. “They’re concerned about the people they’re talking to, but they have to keep looking over their shoulder to make sure they’re not getting run into.”
Metuchen Police Chief Robert Rentenberg said the scarce amount of breathing room between roadside workers and emergency personnel proves frightening. But the nature of the job regularly places those individuals in harm’s way.
“I’ve had incidents where cars have come very close to me, where they almost knocked the hat off your head — that close,” he said.
Campaigns to educate the public on the law have not been as effective as many would hope, and Rentenberg said motorists often proceed with even less caution when passing tow-truck drivers and maintenance workers.
“I think when they see a red light or a blue light flashing, they may have a tendency to slow down a little bit more,” Rentenberg said. “The yellow lights sort of become ignored.”
New Jersey State Police troopers often enforce the “Move Over Law” on state highways. Metuchen police enforce it when necessary, though the borough’s two-lane roads breed fewer violations, the chief said.
Violators face points and a fine of between $100 and $500.
For more information, visit www.moveoverlaw.com.