Florida Highway Patrol begs drivers to 'Move Over'

Florida Highway Patrol trooper Dave Rodriguez was hit by a car in Orange County last week, and is still in intensive care.

And Friday, he made an emotional plea from his hospital bed to all drivers: Move over.

The driver who hit Rodriguez is being charged because she failed to move over while his lights were on.

She veered off the 528 Beachline near Orange Avenue. Rodriguez was getting back on his motorcycle after writing a speeding ticket.

The 20-year-old driver is being charged with reckless driving, and faces up to a $1,000 fine and a suspended license.

"It is something I think about every single day, getting hit by a car, it's like being shot," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez has been in Orlando Regional Medical Center's intensive care unit for more than a week.

Now his fellow troopers are demanding drivers follow the "Move Over Law."

"We want to go home to our families every day, just as you all want to go home every day," FHP Maj. Cindy Williams said.

Already this year, 11 troopers have been hit by Central Florida drivers who refused to move over or slow down. Some were in their cars, others were not.

Although none of the troopers died, more than 170 law enforcement officers across the country have since 1999.

"We are all in this together to protect them, but we need them to protect us," Williams said.

Now troopers in Florida, Georgia and Alabama will be cracking down on drivers by issuing more reckless driving citations to drivers who do not move over when they see flashing lights on the side of the road, or at least slow down to 20 miles below the speed limit.

Orange County firefighter Chad Lowrey responded to a wreck two years ago when a woman talking on her cell phone slammed into him.

"She kept saying that she never mean to do it, but nobody was saying that you meant to do it, but what you did was extremely careless, that you almost killed five people," said Lowrey

That is exactly what Lowrey and Rodriguez want to prevent.

"The only thing I can say is to please obey the move over laws, that is how you protect us," said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is expected to make a full recovery.

Drivers who do not follow the move over law will get a $134 fine and three points on their license.