JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Highway Patrol says not enough drivers are obeying the state's "move over" law, even after troopers began ticketing motorists.
The law, passed in 2003, requires motorists to either move over one lane or slow to 20 mph below the posted speed limit when there's a law enforcement or public safety vehicle working on the side of the highway.
"It's a scary thought. ... To see this huge car railing towards you, and you never know if they're going to swerve or actually hit you," Trooper Emily Purvis said. "I've had near misses with cars that fly past me and almost hit me all the time."
In 2014, the law was expanded to include all marked service vehicles with emergency lights on.
That year, 658 tickets were issued to drivers who didn't move over or slow down when a law enforcement or public safety vehicle was working on the side of the road. The fine is $164.
Those were the ones who were caught. Many more just keep going.
Last October, Trooper Mac Mickens was struck by a car that struck him after he stopped a car on the Florida Turnpike in Palm Beach County.
"It's scary. To see the way it took him out, and he didn't get up for the longest time," Purvis said. "It just kind of makes your heart hurt really bad."
At 5 feet 2 inches tall, Purvis doesn't compare to the stature of Mickens, and she doesn't believe she wouldn't have been able to get back up.
Purvis says she fears being hit by a car more than being shot during a traffic stop, and there's no way to prepare her family for her not coming home after a shift.
"My job is to go home at night, and I can't do that if I'm getting hit by a car," Purvis said. "I can't do that if someone is not paying attention and they run off the road and they hit me or hit my car."
So she sends this text every day: "Time for work. Y'all have a good day. Please be safe. I'll let y'all know when I get home. I love y'all."
"I say that every time I leave. And, when I get home from work, I always tell them I'm home and that I love them, just so in case something were to happen."