State police and other emergency personnel are urging drivers to comply with Connecticut’s move over law.
State police and other emergency personnel are urging drivers to comply with Connecticut’s move-over law.
They say Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier’s death on Thursday – during a traffic stop along Interstate 84 – is a tragic reminder of why the law has been in place since 2009.
“We’re all out there risking our lives,” State Police Sgt. Luke Davis said Tuesday.
The move-over law requires drivers to slow when down approaching stopped vehicles. When on multilane roads, drivers are also supposed to move out of the far lane when possible.
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State police say they wrote 670 tickets to violators last year and have already given out 275 citations so far this year.
Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation says 141 of its vehicles were hit while crews worked roadside in 2023. That number is 54 so far this year.
The DOT has used some of its highway signs to remind drivers about the law. State police hope drivers take notice.
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“Any trooper who’s out working on the road, the cruiser is their desk and their workspace is the roadway,” Davis said.
Sen. Herron Gaston, (D) Bridgeport, co-chairman of the legislature’s Public Safety and Security Committee, said he plans on proposing higher penalties.
“One tragic incident like this sent a ripple effect,” Gaston said. “It has ripped open this family and they can never get their loved one back.”
Currently, violators can receive a $100 fine. That penalty increases to up to $10,000 if the driver causes injury or death to others.
That’s on top of other penalties a driver can face for additional charges.
Alex Oyola Sanchez faces second-degree manslaughter and other charges after, state police say, he struck Pelletier and kept driving.
Rep. Craig Fishbein, (R) Wallingford, agrees higher penalties are needed. He said drivers ignoring the move-over law is connected to a rise in reckless and dangerous driving.
“Our roadways, especially our highways, have become extremely dangerous,” he said.
