The Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio held a press conference Wednesday with State Representatives Tom Patton and Brigid Kelly who introduced a bill that would stiffen penalties for motorists who fail to move over for stopped traffic. The FOP also launched a public information campaign about the law and why it’s important.
The public is encouraged to show it’s support and to help promote the issue by using the hashtag #MoveOver on social media. FOP of Ohio President Jay McDonald says that the bill and public information campaign is about protecting both civilians and police stopped on the side of the road.
“Too many police are being injured and killed through in a completely senseless way, including one officer right here in Ohio earlier this year who was attempting to secure an accident scene,” McDonald said. “We have to educate the public and encourage them to slow down and move over and we have to punish those whose thoughtless actions result in serious injury or death.”
Currently, failure to move over is a minor misdemeanor traffic offense. This new bill would increase the penalty to an M-1 if the motorist’s actions result in injury or death.
McDonald says that an active public information campaign is planned to help motorists understand the importance of this issue.
“Part of our responsibility is to share information and make the public aware of the law and the dangers our officers face,” McDonald said. “We’ve created a radio PSA to help publicize the issue and we’re asking people to share their support through the use of the #MoveOver hashtag on social media.”
You can see the Ohio FOP’s continuing involvement with the #MoveOver campaign at Facebook.com/FOPOhio.