Several years ago, I was driving to Nashville to do a live broadcast at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. It was raining, and, as usual, Interstate 65 was a nightmare.

THE NIGHTMARE OF INTERSTATE 65

At the bottom of that downgrade past the Ridgetop, Tennessee exit, the highway curves a bit. I was in the left lane behind a big box truck that had slowed down--what I consider to be a no-no, especially on an interstate highway. I was able to move back into the right lane, but as I did, traffic was rounding that curve and there was a Tennessee state trooper who had pulled a motorist over. I mean, he was RIGHT there and I didn't see him until I got around the truck.

About a half-mile down the road, that trooper caught up with me and pulled ME over.

SLOW DOWN AND MOVE OVER

He said he'd noticed I was from Kentucky and asked if I knew we had "pull over and slow down" laws here with regards to emergency vehicles. I told him that I honestly did not know but that I always do that anyway.

He then told me that it had become a sensitive issue in Tennessee since, the week before, a trooper had been killed on Interstate 40 between Nashville and Memphis when a driver slammed into him during a routine stop. Horrific.

I offered my condolences and told him that I didn't see him until I got around that box truck and there he was and I couldn't get back over. We talked a bit about the fact that I worked at a radio station--I was in a WBKR vehicle--then he let me go.

A KENTUCKY STATE TROOPER'S CLOSE CALL

I was reminded of that story when I saw a Facebook post from a Kentucky state trooper who was posting about the one-year anniversary of an accident in which a vehicle slammed into her cruiser while she was working ANOTHER accident.

We're thankful that Trooper Burgess wasn't seriously hurt, but she absolutely could have been. And really, when I see ANY vehicle on the shoulder, I slow down or move into the other lane.

You just never know if someone's going to climb out of it at just the wrong time.

LOOK: What major laws were passed the year you were born?

Data for this list was acquired from trusted online sources and news outlets. Read on to discover what major law was passed the year you were born and learn its name, the vote count (where relevant), and its impact and significance.

The Longest Traffic Lights in Owensboro

Owensboroans weigh in on the longest traffic lights in town. We feel their pain.

More From WBKR-FM