OHIO, (WOWO) — It’s not just the law – it’s a simple act to save lives – says Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Colonel Charles Jones.

He’s reminding motorists to do their part in keeping highway workers, first responders and law enforcement safe by slowing down and moving to a non-adjacent lane whenever emergency or service vehicles are stopped on the side of the road.

Over the past 5 years, 55 Ohio State Highway Patrol vehicles were damaged in crashes that left two motorists dead and 16 Troopers injured. Impairment was a cause of just over a quarter of the crashes and most of them took place on Interstates, snow, ice or slush covered roads or unlit highways.