'Move over' drivers. Troopers step up enforcement Labor Day weekend

Minnesota State Troopers on Saturday will step up enforcement of the state's "move over" law to mark the anniversary of the death of a fellow trooper.

The law requires drivers to move over a lane as they pass by emergency vehicles on the side of the highway. It's named for Trooper Ted Foss , who was killed by a passing vehicle in 2000 as he made a traffic stop on the shoulder of Interstate 90 near Winona.

Too often drivers aren't closely watching where they're going, State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske said. "Often times it's just a simple case of driver inattention ...being distracted by cell phones and other things while driving and not monitoring traffic ahead."

In the last five years, 120 parked trooper squads have been hit and 38 troopers injured, the State Patrol says.

More troopers will also be out looking for drunken drivers over the Labor Day weekend. The State Patrol has made more than 1,500 DWI arrests over the last three years of Labor Day weekend, Roeske said.

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