Highway safety week raises awareness for roadside accidents – The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Inside the wake of current roadside tragedies, Pretty A pair of enterprisees have teamed As a lot as enhance consciousness all by way of Crash Responder Safety Week.

AAA, Collectively with the Colorado Division of Transportation, the Federal Freeway Administration, the Colorado State Patrol, the Nationwide Freeway Safety Administration, the Colorado State Committee on First Responder Safety and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, are working together for this shieldedty week that runs by way of Sunday.

“Whether or not or not they’re tow truck drivers, regulation enstrainment particular personnel, first responders, or road and utility crews, The mom and father who work On the roadside Deal with unimaginable hazards To maintain The The rest of us shielded,” said Cassie Tanner, deputy director of public affairs for AAA Colorado. “To shield them, drivers have a obligation to Deceleprice and transfer over To current these people room to work shieldedly.”

Throughout the nation, 46 emergency responders Engaged on the roadway have been struck and killed in 2020, together with 17 regulation enstrainment officers, 21 tow truck operators, one mobile mechanic, three Division of Transportation and shieldedty service patrol operators, And 4 firefighters and EMS particular personnel.

This yr has been Much extra lethal. As of Oct. 18, 51 first responders have been struck and killed.

Based mostly on the Facilities for Illness Administration and Prevention, towing Is Amongst The numerous most dangerous strains Of labor in the nation — with a demise price Greater than 15 events that Of every completely different particular personal enterprise mixed.

However it’s not simply tow suppliers and completely different emergency responders; common motorists are additionally In hazard. Since 2015, Greater than 1,600 people have been struck and killed outdoors of a disabled car. As An factor of Crash Responder Safety Week, This method is to remind motorists of the “Sluggish Down, Move Over” regulation.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have a Move Over regulation that requires drivers To vary lanes and/or Deceleprice when approaching stopped emergency automobiles.

In Colorado the regulation requirements are:

n A driver should transfer A minimal Of 1 lane away from a stationary emergency car with its lights flashing.

n In the event that they will’t, They Want to Deceleprice to A minimal of 25 mph on roadways with a velocity restrict under 45 mph.

n On roadways with velocity restricts 45 mph or extra, motorists should Deceleprice To twenty mph Decrease than the velocity restrict.

Motorists that fail to Deceleprice or transfer over have dedicated the crime of careless driving, A class 2 misdemeanor visitors offense Which will Discover your self in As a lot as 90 days in jail and a nice of As a lot as $300.

As An factor of Colorado’s “Move Over for Cody Law,” handed in response to the 2016 demise of Colorado State Trooper Cody Donahue, the penalty will enhance to A class 1 misdemeanor if The driving strain’s actions injure ancompletely different particular person, and to A class 6 felony if The driving strain’s actions kill ancompletely different particular person.