WASHINGTON — Some drivers found themselves pulled over Friday as part of an 鈥渆ducation blitz鈥� by area police.
Officers from Fairfax County, Prince William County and Virginia State Police stepped up enforcement of the state鈥檚 鈥渕ove over鈥� law which is designed to protect police officers, fire and EMS workers, tow truck operators, road crews and others who often stop along roadways.
When coming upon a vehicle with flashing lights, 鈥淭he law states that you鈥檙e to move over one lane or more, and if you cannot move over you need to reduce your speed,鈥� says Master Patrol Officer John Alford of Fairfax County Police.
On the Inner Loop of the Beltway, Alford nabbed a Chevy Malibu which had whizzed past a State Police cruiser performing a separate traffic stop.
鈥淲e were backing a trooper that had stopped a vehicle for speeding 鈥� I just sat behind her and watched in the mirror for any vehicles not moving over.”
Alford says the Malibu鈥檚 driver claimed to have not seen the police cars.
鈥淭hen when I gave him the ticket he said 鈥業鈥檓 a D.C. resident, I don鈥檛 know anything about this.鈥�
That driver received a ticket and a flier about Virginia鈥檚 law. Luckier drivers received only the flier.
鈥淪ome of them will say they didn鈥檛 have the chance to move over, or they just weren鈥檛 paying attention 鈥� usually people are just apologetic,鈥� says Alford.
While all other states, including Maryland, have some kind of 鈥渕ove over鈥� law, the District does not.
The current enforcement effort has police focusing on Northern Virginia鈥檚 busiest roads, including Route 28, Route 50, the Fairfax County Parkway, the Dulles Toll Road, I-66, I-95 and the Beltway. Fairfax County Police point to statistics that more than 100 law enforcement officers have been struck and killed on U.S. highways since 2003.
