Marshall County officials spread awareness as crash levels rise

MARSHALL COUNTY, Ind. -- Collisions involving law enforcement continue to pile up.

Monday, we heard from two law enforcement officials about what can be done to reduce these incidents.

Tuesday, ABC57's Leo Goldman got a first-hand look at what police keep encountering.

We were invited to do a ride along with the Marshall County sheriff's department, as they continue to deal with a growing issue - drivers not slowing down and moving over for stopped vehicles.

Partially inspired by Monday's officer involved collision, and in an effort to spread awareness to the public, ABC57 got an up-close look at some of the things that have led to the rise in first responder involved collisions on the roads and highways.

Not even four minutes after beginning the ride along as officers were responding to a call, it happened.

As you'll see, and hear, the sirens and flashing lights are both activated.

"There's a car not pulling over there, see? He's not getting over at all. He's still not getting over, see? Now he has to pass this car on the right to get around, you should never have to, he's not getting over," said Les McFarland, Marshall County Lieutenant Detective. "You're always supposed to pass on the left, but if people aren't getting over, how can we get through?"

Both law enforcement vehicles waited around ten seconds for the vehicle in front of them to pull over, who never ended up getting over, resulting in both cars having to pass in the right lane. This costs law enforcement precious time when trying to respond to a call. Less than a minute later, round two.

"See, here's another one, think about how many cars we run into that don't move over," said McFarland.

Despite bright lights, and loud sirens, McFarland says this is something he and his staff are seeing more and more.

"They're not paying attention, they're worried about work or getting some place else, and not allowing their time, so they're just not paying attention, it all comes down to driver attention. Driving a vehicle is more about not just driving a vehicle but knowing your surroundings, we need to get back to the basics of teaching these people to know your surroundings," said McFarland.

Even some of the largest occupants of the road were still not getting the memo.

"There's more traffic on the road today than there normally was, everybody's got a cell phone, semis are really bad too because they just want to stay in this lane, so here he is bogging up traffic by not getting over," said McFarland.