The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission has cited a state trooper’s death 17 years ago today in a renewed plea to motorists to slow down and move over when passing emergency vehicles.

Ohio Highway Patrol trooper Robert Perez, Jr., 24, died May 15, 2000, three days after his stopped cruiser was struck from behind by a minivan while he wrote a traffic ticket near the turnpike’s U.S. 250 interchange in Erie County. The highway patrol said the minivan’s driver was high on amphetamines and traveling 83 mph when he crashed.

Ohio’s Move Over law requires motorists passing stopped emergency vehicles displaying flashing lights to provide one lane of space or, if unable to change lanes, to slow down while passing them. Between 2012 and 2016, state records show, Ohio Highway Patrol cruisers were involved in 73 crashes that could have been prevented by compliance with the Move Over law — crashes that resulted in two civilian deaths, 32 civilian injuries, and 24 trooper injuries.

“Our top priority is the safety of our customers, law-enforcement personnel, employees, and contractors,” said Randy Cole, the turnpike’s executive director. “We need everyone’s cooperation to have a safe season by slowing down and moving over for all roadside workers.”

First Published May 15, 2017, 4:00 a.m.