WASHINGTON 鈥� Police, emergency workers and road crews have a tough job, made tougher by the danger they encounter on interstates and busy roads.
Statistics from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund show that in 2015, 10 police officers died after being hit by a vehicle while they were out of their patrol cars. So far in 2016, three officers have died after being struck by vehicles under the same conditions.
Last year in Montgomery County alone, 49 police officers were struck by drunken drivers. In one case, an officer was hit on three different occasions.
On Thursday, when a Maryland state trooper was struck by a vehicle on the scene of a prior crash on the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway near Md. 450, officers from the New Carrollton Police Department were sent to the scene.
New Carrollton Police Chief David Rice says his captain called him from the scene, 鈥渁nd while we were talking, he almost got hit by a vehicle that was trying to squeeze onto the Beltway after being told not to.鈥�
Rice says the 鈥�鈥� plays a critical role in keeping emergency workers, road crews and police officers safe on the road.
All 50 states have some version of the law that requires drivers to move over one lane as they approach a work zone or emergency vehicles by the side of the road.
If unable to move over one lane, drivers must slow down to ensure the safety of the crews along the roadway.
Rice鈥檚 message to area drivers: 鈥淲e鈥檙e out there. We鈥檙e trying to help keep the road safe for them and their families, but we鈥檙e going to need their help, too 鈥� to help keep us safe.鈥�
