Officials urge caution when approaching emergency vehicles off the road
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Vehicles drive through the Kaneohe-bound Tetsuo Harano Tunnel where on Sunday a police officer was critically injured when he was struck by a vehicle while he worked at an accident scene
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Officials with the state Department of Transportation, Honolulu Police Department and Freeway Service Patrol gathered Thursday at the H-3 Harano Tunnels to remind drivers of the Move Over Law to ensure the safety of first responders. The law requires drivers to slow down or change lanes when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights.
City and state officials Thursday asked drivers to be more responsible following a collision Sunday night on the H-3 freeway that left a Honolulu police officer in critical condition.
It was the second time in two days that officials held a news conference to plead with the public to drive more safely in the wake of several traffic-related tragedies.
On Wednesday they gathered at McKinley High School to talk about pedestrian safety measures following a Feb. 15 hit-and-run collision that killed a 16-year-old student in a crosswalk who was walking to school. Thursday’s news conference took place at a parking area on the H-3 freeway just outside the Harano Tunnel, where police officer Felix Gasman was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic as other officers investigated an unrelated crash.
Thursday’s news conference emphasized the state’s Move Over Law Opens in a new tab, which requires drivers to slow down or change lanes when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights. Emergency vehicles are most commonly police vehicles, fire department trucks or ambulances, although officials said drivers should be careful around any stalled vehicle on the side of the road.
“I would say that any time you see a vehicle on the shoulder stalled, it’s always a good thing to move over if you can. Move over two lanes if you can,” said Maj. Stason Tanaka of the Honolulu Police Department’s Traffic Division. “If you’re unable to move over safely, the law says that you need to slow down to a reasonable speed.”
It’s not clear whether the law was violated Sunday night when a 25-year-old man struck Gasman on the H-3 freeway. The driver was traveling eastbound and swerved to avoid a stopped vehicle on the freeway, instead hitting the 46-year-old police officer and pinning him between the driver’s car and a parked vehicle in the right lane.
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An investigation into the collision is ongoing, HPD said. Tanaka said it was raining at the time, which may have contributed to the collision. It’s not yet clear whether speed, drugs or alcohol played a role.
HPD said Gasman remains hospitalized.
Still, officials continued to call on the public to drive with fewer distractions.
“Make sure you drive sober, buckle up, put your phone away, drive the speed limit,” said state Transportation Director Ed Sniffen. “It’s not much of an imposition for you, but it makes everything safer for everybody.”
