Nearly 60% of roadside workers have experienced a near-hit, and an astonishing 15% have been hit by a passing vehicle, reports a new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study.
The latest AAA research also reports certain roadside measures, including the use of truck-mounted electronic message signs, could induce drivers to comply with Move Over laws.
In the wake of yesterday’s Cromwell crash where a firefighter and state police officer were injured, the release of the Foundation’s latest research is timely, said Fran Mayko, AAA Northeast spokeswoman. Another state police officer was injured by a passing motorist earlier that morning in a separate Route 15 crash in Hamden.
“Helping stranded motorists on the side of the road shouldn’t be one of America’s most lethal jobs,” said Fran Mayko, AAA Northeast spokeswoman. “But it is.”
In the study, Foundation researchers staged a flatbed and disabled car in Trumbull and used footage from real incidents to examine the effectiveness of various safety measures on driving behavior. Among the findings:
- Electronic truck-mounted message signs can induce drivers to move over when roadside workers are assisting disabled motorists. In fact, the odds of a vehicle moving over were 95% higher when the signs were in use.
- Cones, flares, and emergency flashing light patterns on the responding trucks or flatbeds had a positive impact on driver behavior and led to significant lane shifts by drivers in most circumstances.
- Drivers, who made lane changes, tended to reduce their speeds while those who didn’t move over to an adjacent lane were also less likely to slow down.
“AAA is sharing its findings with other industries and traffic safety advocates impacted by Move Over laws,” Mayko said. “At the same time, we continue to educate drivers about the need to obey Move Over laws because doing so saves lives.”
All 50 states, including Connecticut, have Move Over laws that require drivers to slow down and, if possible, move over to adjacent lanes when emergency responders are assisting disabled motorists along roadways.