Watch: Vehicle Slams Into Cop's Cruiser, Causes Pileup

LARGO, FL — Moving out of the way of an emergency vehicle that’s pulled over is not only a smart way to avoid a crash, it’s the law in Florida.

The Largo Police Department is trying to send that message home to area motorists after a four-vehicle pileup occurred along Roosevelt Boulevard Tuesday afternoon. Two of the vehicles involved in the pileup happened to be marked police vehicles.

According to the agency, two Largo Police officers made a routine traffic stop around 2:54 p.m. Dec. 13 in the area of Roosevelt Boulevard and 62nd Street North. As the officers were out of their cruisers, speaking with the motorist they pulled over, another vehicle “ran into the back of one of the marked police cars that had the emergency lights activated,” an email from the department said.

That collision caused the police cruiser to move forward. It ended up striking the vehicle of the person pulled over for the traffic violation, which then went into the second cruiser.

Injuries related to the pileup all appear to be minor, the agency noted. The officers who were standing in the roadway were not injured.

Tuesday’s crash remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. The names of the motorists involved have not been released.

The crash, Largo police say, serves as a good reminder of just why Florida has its “Move Over Law.” That law mandates that motorists get out of the lane closest to stationary emergency vehicles, tow trucks, sanitation trucks or utility vehicles.

“Drivers must slow down to a speed of 20 mph below the posted speed limit if they cannot move over safely,” the police department reminded.

Image via Shutterstock/video courtesy of the Largo Police Department