In Arizona, officers and other emergency personnel know all too well how close of a call can happen when high speed motorists don’t move over when they are attending to a situation on the side of the road or highway. They get out of their patrol vehicle, are speaking with the driver, and suddenly a motorist blows by too close, and too fast. Those drivers put themselves and others in danger. Across the nation, dozens of officers are injured or killed each year while conducting traffic stops. But in Arizona, passing too close too fast to an officer making a traffic stop is illegal and can get you a ticket with a fine.

Police officers and other emergency personnel are out there keeping the roads safe, and shouldn’t worry about their own safety. So in Flagstaff, they arranged officers with the purpose of stopping motorists who do not know what to do when they are passing a traffic stop or see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road. Their goal is to educate the public and make them aware of the situation to in the end, save lives.

According to information from the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund, “officer deaths rose nationwide from 117 in 2009 to 162 in 2010 — a 40 percent increase. Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death of police officers nationwide. In 2010, 50 officers were killed in traffic collisions. Another 16 were killed by a vehicle while they were outside of their vehicle, and many more were injured. In 2009, 10 officers were killed by a vehicle while outside of their vehicle.”

According to an online article from the AZ Daily Sun, Arizona traffic law states that:

“If a person who drives a vehicle approaches a stationary, authorized emergency vehicle and the authorized emergency vehicle is giving a signal by displaying alternately flashing red or red and blue lights, the person shall do either of the following:

1. If on a highway having at least four lanes with at least two lanes proceeding in the same direction as the approaching vehicle, proceed with due caution and if possible, with due regard to safety and traffic conditions, yield the right-of-way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that of the authorized emergency vehicle.
2. If changing lanes would be impossible or unsafe, proceed with due caution and reduce the speed of the vehicle, maintaining a safe speed for road conditions.”

Know the laws and always be aware of the safety and lives of emergency personnel during their traffic stops.