ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Joan Trani doesn't miss the days of driving long distance to work.
"I used to commute over 102 miles to work in each direction," she said.
There have been situations where she's had to pull over. Trani says the "Move Over" law is a godsend.
"I just feel that it protects the person on the shoulder," she said.
State
'Move Over' law expands to all drivers on Florida roadways
A 67-year-old Road Ranger was killed over the weekend in a crash on Interstate 95 in St. Lucie County. FHP says a Royal Palm Beach man with four passengers drove off the road, slamming into both the Road Ranger and his truck.
The FHP said the Road Ranger was helping a disabled Dodge Charger in the left shoulder of I-95 northbound, a couple miles south of Midway Road near Fort Pierce, just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday.
That's when a Nissan Murano SUV, driven by a 28-year-old Royal Palm Beach man, went off the road and onto the left shoulder, slamming into both the Road Ranger and his Ford F-250 pickup truck.
The Road Ranger, a 67-year-old Fort Pierce man, was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released.
Trani says that's a tough one everyone involved.
"Maybe if that person who hit them had pulled over when they were supposed to that wouldn't have occurred," she said.
Road Rangers are employed by the Florida Department of Transportation and provide assistance to drivers in need on highways. Those services include changing flat tires, jump starting vehicles, helping stranded drivers get in contact with emergency responders, and clearing disabled vehicles and debris from the road.
The "Move Over" law has been on the books for over 20 years. However, the law was updated in January requiring drivers to move over one lane or slow down for all stopped vehicles displaying warning or hazard lights.
Here's a look at the numbers in the last five years: FHP has issued over 91,000 citations for violating the "Move Over" law, there have been over 1,000 crashes, 83 injuries and six deaths. The Road Ranger is the second death this year.
Jim Choban with the Safety Council of Palm Beach County says the law is simple.
"You are required to move over one lane to the left. Now, if you can't do that because there's so much traffic then you are required to move over to the first white line and stay below the speed limit," he said.
FHP has not identified the Road Ranger and FDOT, which manages the rangers, has not commented on the crash that killed one of their own.
"It must have been a tragedy for that to happen," Choban said.
FHP said this is an ongoing investigation.
