'Move Over' on the road, and avoid a world of pain

Shaving time off your commute by driving recklessly is not worth the pain, loss and suffering caused by a single moment of carelessness.

I would know as a state trooper nearly killed on the Southern State Parkway by a distracted driver.

I began my overnight shift like any other one weekend in April, prepared for a Saturday night typically busy with impaired drivers. Shortly before dawn on Sunday, April 12, a fellow trooper responded to a crash near Exit 14, in Valley Stream. I knew the spot well. It's a treacherous bend with limited visibility that makes it tough for even careful drivers to safely heed the state's Move Over Law, which mandates that drivers slow down and move over when any vehicle is stopped along a roadway. Our laws are not just suggestions. Whether it's a trooper, a Department of Transportation crew, or someone changing a flat tire, that person has a family waiting for them to come home.

My partner was vulnerable on the curve as he set down flares along the shoulder, so I positioned my cruiser on the straightaway just before it, emergency lights flashing to warn others that we were assisting a vehicle ahead.

I watched the rearview mirror with a knot in my stomach as I saw car after car fail to shift lanes. Then one came on a clear path for my cruiser.

I slammed the airhorn. I figured if they weren't paying attention, maybe the noise would force them to listen. In that split second, I realized that if I moved my vehicle to save myself, the driver would likely strike my partner.

I braced for impact. When the car struck and launched my vehicle 200 feet, it felt like my skeleton left my body. In the following silence, I couldn't move my legs. I knew I was still alive because of the severe pain in my back. My consciousness was fading as a passerby stopped to render aid and I grabbed my radio to request EMS.

Life has changed since the crash. I have a fractured spine. I'm 31 and can't pick up my two young children. My wife is now a caregiver for all three of us.

Sadly, my story is far from unique. Motorists who fail to move over are one of the deadliest threats in American policing. In 2025, 13 law enforcement officers were struck and killed outside their vehicle, after 17 lives were lost the year before — tragedies that are entirely preventable.

A career in law enforcement has been my lifelong dream, and I'm working to make a full recovery to return to the road. But I don't want to see others go through the same struggle.

Over the course of only four days in April, New York State Police issued 160 Move Over tickets. But tickets are only one tool for getting drivers to change their bad habits. It's imperative that drivers heed these lessons and educate each other, while Albany also considers ways to crack down.

Above all, if you see lights on the shoulder, be careful and considerate of your fellow drivers. Don't keep your foot on the gas. Slow down, and move over.

Your destination is important, but our lives are worth the extra few seconds.

This guest essay reflects the views of Aqib Irfan, a New York State trooper based on Long Island, where he lives with his wife and two young children.