Driving Danger: "Move Over" law

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - We've all driven by a state trooper who has someone pulled over. Lets be honest, we're just happy it’s not us.

But the findings of our latest Target 12 Investigation show many of you may be guilty of breaking a law that you may not even know exists.

In 2008, lawmakers passed the "Move Over" law, requiring drivers change lanes or at least slow down if any emergency vehicle is off to the side of the highway with another car. So we wanted to see if the law is working. The short answer is "no."

• Check out the RI Move Over Law Statistics

Trooper Thomas Jacques, Rhode Island State Police : "It's not working as well as we'd like it to right now."

Target 12 wired up a state police cruiser and went undercover to put the law to the test. We also had Trooper Jacques "pull over" one of our undercover cars on a local highway.

One car passed dangerously close to Trooper Jacques as he got out of his cruiser. A tractor trailer passed so close to our car that it rocked the hidden camera. And the trend continued, car after truck, blatantly ignoring the law.

Tim White: "Do you get frustrated?"

Trooper Thomas Jacques, Rhode Island State Police: "You do because you realize through their inattention, something catastrophic could happen to you."

At $85 a pop, Trooper Jacques says he's written about a dozen "Move Over" violations so far. Target 12 pulled the numbers for the entire state police. Between March 2009 and January first of this year, the state police handed out 139 "Move Over" violations . An astounding stat when you consider how hard it is to enforce.

Trooper Thomas Jacques, Rhode Island State Police: "You're trying to deal with a motor vehicle stop; you don't necessarily have the capability of being able to leave that stop in order to go after someone."

We brought our findings to one of the guys who wrote the "Move Over" law to get his reaction.

Tim White: "Does it look like the law is working to you?"

Rep. Joseph McNamara , (D) Warwick: "It was very, very, scary."

State representative Joseph McNamara says with drivers, it can be hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Rep. Joseph McNamara, (D) Warwick: "Here we have people that are serving the public literally putting their lives on the line. The least we can do is try to make their situation a little bit safer."

Trooper Jacques says he understands there is a learning curve to a new law. But patience is running thin.

Trooper Thomas Jacques, Rhode Island State Police : "We are at the end of that curve. We will be increasing our vigilance with this law."

Rhode Island is one of 44 states with a "Move Over" law on the books . Since 2007, we've learned 20 cruisers have been swiped or rear-ended by vehicles when they were pulled off to the side of the road. Nine troopers have been injured.