VSP Sergeant recalls life-changing crash ahead of National Move Over Awareness Day

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — “Slow down and move over” is the message Virginia State Police is sending to drivers ahead of National Move Over Day this Saturday, Oct. 19.

Sgt. Steven Sclafani knows firsthand what a driver’s decision to not move over can lead to.

“I’m more scared to be hit by a car than to be shot at,” said Sclafani.

While working the midnight shift on Nov. 9, 2009, Sclafani pulled a driver over on I-64 in Goochland County. As Sclafani was writing a summons, he was struck from behind by another driver.

“They had to use the jaws of life to get me out of the vehicle while being unconscious,” said Sclafani. “I had minor injuries, but the trauma from being involved in a situation like that is kind of everlasting and, you know, I wake up every day and I kind of feel it in my body.”

In Virginia, it’s required for drivers to move over when approaching flashing blue, red or amber lights — or to slow down if they are unable to change lanes. However, it’s a law Sclafani said is difficult to enforce.

“We can’t be in two places at once,” he said. “It’s definitely a good thing to have this day to remind drivers that we’re out here to help them and we want to go home safe at night. And our families care about us, too.”

Drivers in Virginia who don’t move over for emergency vehicles with flashing lights could be charged with a class one misdemeanor facing up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

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