A police officer stands next to a car he pulled over for speeding, reaching for the driver's ID. (iStock)
A new traffic law for Michigan drivers has troopers handing out $400 tickets.
Michigan's expansion to its "Move Over" law requires drivers to move over a lane for emergency vehicles and slow down to 10 mph below the speed limit. It's a law that more than 71 percent of Americans have not heard of according to a national poll sponsored by the National Safety Commission.
Police have handed out a half-dozen citations since the Feb. 13 start date, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press. Police made a point to announce one of them on Twitter.
"The troopers' patrol car lights were fully activated, and his vehicle was stopped when it was rear-ended, said MSP Metro Detroit. "The at-fault vehicle, a blue Chevy, approached the patrol car also in the middle lane at a speed too fast for road conditions."
The original law was implemented in 2001. Gov. Rick Synder signed an expansion in February to include tow trucks, garbage trucks, maintenance and utility vehicles that have amber lights flashing. Drivers who violate these laws are subject to a civil offense and up to a $400 fine.
"This legislation will better protect those responding to emergencies as well as workers on busy roadways," Synder told WDIV-TV. "My hope by signing this bill is that more Michiganders will slow down and give a lane."
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 213 officers have been killed by vehicles between 1999 and 2014.
Roughly 800 miles away in Connecticut, 29 police officers have been struck by "Move Over" law violators just two months into the year, according to WTNH.
Officials believe that these new laws will help decrease those numbers, However, because so few people know about these laws, it's caused a few accidents. In one instance, move-over confusion in Ohio caused a multicar pileup, according to Fox 8.
Michigan State Police Lt. Darren Green told The Free Press he believes the 10 mph rule is still pretty risky. He says drivers should slow down ever further below the speed limit when necessary to avoid accidents.