Give Us
Room to
Work
All emergency
responders need
a safe place to
work—it’s the law.
Here’s what you
need to know
shared spaces. Everyone using them
has a responsibility to follow the rules
of the road and drive according to appropriate conditions, particularly in hazardous situations,” says Rick Lang of AMA
Driver Education.
Part of the problem is that motorists
aren’t aware that the passing rules that
apply to emergency vehicles (police,
fire and ambulance) also apply to tow
trucks. “It’s been the law for 10 years
now, yet people still don’t know what to
do when they see tow trucks at the side
of the road,” Lang says. “Treat a tow
truck with its flashing lights the same
way you would treat an emergency
vehicle at the side of the road. Slow
down and safely create as much distance as possible between your vehicle
and those around you.”
Speed fines double for drivers
who don’t slow down to at least 60
kilometres per hour or the posted limit
(whichever is lower) when passing a
parked tow truck with flashing lights.
There are the demerit points as well,
which vary depending on how fast
the offending vehicle is travelling.
For instance, a motorist driving at
110 kilometres per hour on Highway
2, who fails to slow down to 60 in
the lane immediately next to a tow
truck with flashing lights, will lose five
demerit points and net a fine of just
under a thousand dollars.
“Of course, we also look at the
totality of the situation,” says RCMP
Cpl. Brian Johansson of the Settler
Integrated Traffic Unit, explaining that
32
SUMMER 2016
AMA INSIDER
drivers can be charged with a more
serious alternative offense, such as
careless driving, that exceeds the speed
fine. Rack up enough demerit points
and you lose your licence.
Cpl. Johansson says summer travel
can add increased risk to workers at
roadside, as Alberta’s highways see
more fifth-wheels and RVs during
this time. These larger vehicles are
more imposing, require more time
and space to change lanes, and take
longer to slow down.
It’s a dangerous scenario that AMA
tow operators like Klassen experience
firsthand. He remembers an incident
when he and a colleague were working
on the shoulder of Highway 2. A semitrailer passed in the adjacent lane at
full highway speed. “The wind motion
alone from a vehicle that big, passing at
that speed, blew us off balance—almost
to the point where we risked falling
into traffic,” Klassen says. “The driver
was trying to get over; I could see his
signal light was on as he passed us but
nobody was letting him in. That being
said, he should have slowed way down.”
The message is clear: Every driver
can play a part to make the jobs of tow
truck drivers safer. “It just takes one—
one person to follow the rules and slow
down—to make the biggest difference
to us. It’s our lives and our families’
lives that are on the line,” Klassen says.
“We’re not just a tow company; we’re
a ‘make your day better’ company.
By looking out for us, you help us look
out for you.”
• If possible, move to
the far lane to give tow
operators room to
work safely.
• If you’re in the far lane
or if there’s a buffer lane
between you and the
truck, proceed cautiously. Be prepared to
make way for vehicles
changing lanes or
slowing down.
• In any emergency
situation, slow down
and drive with caution.
Stay alert and create
extra room between
your vehicle and those
around you.
• Awareness campaigns,
such as Give Us Room
to Work [