State troopers' life in the danger lane
Passing cars must vacate right lane — or get a ticket
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Send a letter to the editorWashington State Patrol Trooper Keith Leary pulled over a black Mercedes and a red Honda as they sped northbound on a three-lane stretch of I-5 near Marysville.
Each stop lasted less than five minutes.
In the time it took to issue two warnings, 93 other drivers whizzed by in the far right lane, next to the shoulder where the blue and red lights flashed atop Leary’s patrol car. Just two cars and a semi merged left to the middle lane.
Little did those dozens of other drivers know they were breaking a state law.
On highways where at least two lanes head in the same direction, drivers are required to move over a lane or away from the shoulder if it is safe to do so. If not, they must slow down to pass.
On roads with one lane of travel, drivers can pass to the left if it’s safe to do so. Otherwise, they must slow down.
Most drivers don’t move, Leary said.
“There’s not a whole lot of wiggle room,” State Patrol Sgt. Kirk Rudeen said.
Beginning Saturday, with the new year, the fine in Washington doubles to $248 from $124 for drivers who fail to move over or slow down.
The extra bite to the wallet is aimed at protecting law enforcement, road crews, emergency workers and drivers who have pulled over.
The shoulder is a vulnerable spot.
Since 2006, there have been 111 crashes in which passing vehicles struck State Patrol vehicles parked along Washington’s highways. More than half occurred in daylight. In roughly 90 percent of the crashes, the troopers’ lights were on. (Numbers for Snohomish County were not immediately available.)
Troopers constantly must swivel their necks from the driver they have pulled over to the oncoming traffic.
“I don’t think that your average driver has any concept of what it’s like to be in our shoes,” Rudeen said.
Leary suffered two herniated discs when his parked patrol car was hit with him in it off I-5 near Mountlake Terrace in 2002.
In the 90 crashes on highway shoulders between 2006 and 2009, 41 percent resulted in injuries to troopers. In addition, the average property damage to patrol cars was $5,253.
Troopers have no plans for extra patrols to ticket drivers who don’t move over or slow down. They hope to get the word out through education programs.
The best thing to do when drivers see flashing lights on the side of the road is to try to move into the next lane over. If that’s not possible, slow down and leave as much room as possible, Leary said.
“We don’t want people to slow down to a crawl,” he said. “We just need a minor course correction or a lane change if they have the room.”Join Us On Facebook
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