On June 14 it happened again.  Deputy James Allen of the Buncombe County (NC) Sheriff’s Department radioed into his dispatch that was assisting the NCSHP with a stranded motorist.  He places the mic back into it’s latch and removes his seat belt. Just as he was ready to step out of his cruiser … BAM! A car, whose speed is estimated at 71 mph five seconds before impact, strikes Deputy Allen’s cruiser square in the rear.

Deputy Allen was able to return home to his family after being discharged from the ER that evening. 

I could have just as easily been telling you about Deputy Allen’s funeral.  This is one of numerous incidents just in the past two weeks that I am aware of.  Each and every day a law enforcement officer, emergency and/or public service worker is injured or killed in the line of duty.  Not from a bullet, not from a knife, but from an inattentive driver.  We have a responsibility to WAKE UP!  You do not have to wear a uniform to be in danger.  Had Deputy Allen and Trooper Gahagan not been on the side of the road assisting the stranded motorist, who do you think would have been hit?

I have received several e-mails from people asking what they should do if they are being pulled over and do not feel that it is a safe location to stop?  First of all, SLOW YOUR VEHICLE.  Not from 80 to 60, but BELOW the speed limit.  Second, use your vehicles signals/emergency flashers to notify the law enforcement officer (LEO) that you acknowledge him or her.  Finally, pull over at the next safe shoulder area or exit.  HOLD ON!  THERE IS MORE…If the LEO is concerned about your ability to drive (ex: that you are intoxicated) he may not allow you to proceed to a safer area.  Also, do not expect that you can take a ten mile ride down the interstate! 

Keep this in mind.  If you are stopped, many LEO’s will have you continue on to a safer area anyway.  WHAT IS THE REAL SOLUTION???????  DON’T GIVE THEM A REASON TO STOP YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When you have the opportunity, please visit www.respondersafety.com.  They do an AMAZING job of tracking Move Over Laws and incidences of LEO’s or emergency workers being injured or killed.  If you are a LEO or emergency supervisor, please be sure to contact them if and when you have situation (property damage, injury or fatality) as the result of someone failing to move over.  They have also been incredibly supportive of FORS and our efforts.

Mark your calendars please!  The 4th annual CALVIN TAYLOR TOY RIDE will be held on September 10!  Visit the website for more information!  Thank you to their treasurer ”Tiny” Hooper for handing out FORS brochures for us at a local Wal-Mart.

We now have a small number of FORS brochures available.  Keep in mind that they are “homemade.”  Don’t expect pretty pictures or color.  However, if you would like any to hand-out to leave at your place of business for people to pick-up, please let me know.

Finally, as you have read in my previous e-mails, our changes to the NC Move Over Law have passed both the House and Senate.  We are waiting for the House to concur and then it will proceed to Gov. Easley for his signature.  Stan Cogdill and I will be heading to Raleigh to be present for this wonderful occasion.  Please all me to thank the following people for all of their hard work on making these changes possible…Assistant DA Pam Wilcox Smith, Rep. Ray Rapp, Rep. McGee, Senator John Snow, Tony Adams of the NC Outdoor Advertising Assoc., Colleen Kochanek and the NC Towers Association, Lt. Everett Clendenin and Major David Munday of the NCSHP and everyone else who took the time to call and write your legislators.  We are thrilled with the success.

The bill, although it will be passed this summer, will not go into effect until Summer of 2006.  We have ONE YEAR to educate motorists about these changes.  FORS must raise THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS in order to get billboards up across the state.  PLEASE help us by sending a tax deductible donation to FORS!!  Remember, you could be the stranded motorist…