Secretary of State Ruth Johnson today released a public service announcement calling on motorists to follow Michigan’s “Move Over” law that protects the lives of emergency responders who have stopped their vehicle on a roadway.

“Twenty-four hours each day, emergency personnel are on duty working to protect us from harm,” Johnson said. “We ask motorists to return the favor—and follow the law—by moving over a lane when they see police and fire vehicles, ambulances, tow trucks or other emergency responders stopped on the road or the edge of the road.”

Johnson, Michigan State Police Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue and several emergency responders are featured in the video, which begins with state police footage of a tow truck driver narrowly escaping with his life as a car smashes into his vehicle.

Michigan’s Emergency Vehicle Caution Law, which went into effect in 2001, requires that when drivers see a stationary emergency vehicle or tow truck pulled over with its flashing, rotating or oscillating lights on, passing motorists must move over at least one lane or two vehicle widths. If moving over cannot be accomplished, motorists must slow down and pass with caution. Violators face fines or jail.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the No. 1 cause of law enforcement deaths is traffic incidents. According to a report cited by the Pew Center, each year about six to eight fire rescue and emergency medical service personnel are killed in or near moving traffic, as are 10 to 12 police officers. The Emergency Responder Safety Institute estimates that a tow operator in killed every six days in the United States while providing roadside or towing services.

The video can be viewed on YouTube and downloaded online.