This year, November 13-17 marks "National Crash Responder Safety Week" nationwide.
It's a chance for different agencies to remind and educate drivers about the importance of doing what we can to protect those who respond to crash scenes on our roads and freeways, whether it be Department of Transportation workers, law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, or tow truck operators.
“While the safety of motorists is the top priority for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the well-being of our responding DPS Troopers along the highways is also a prime concern for all of us here at the agency,” AZDPS Director Jeffrey Glover said in a press release. “When a driver is distracted, impaired or inattentive, it puts everyone at risk.”
From 2020 to 2022, ADOT reported at least five responders were hit and killed by vehicles.
According to national crash data, one tow truck operator is killed every six days on average in the U.S.
The best way officials say we can prevent these crashes is by paying attention on the roads and following the "Move Over" law.
“One of the most significant hazards that our incident responders face is being hit by other vehicles passing by a crash. Whether motorists are driving on the freeway or a local road, it is critical to everyone’s safety that they observe the Move Over law,” said MCDOT Director and County Engineer Jesse Gutierrez in a press release. “Together, we can keep motorists and our responders safe.”
That law requires drivers to move over one lane, or slow down if it's not safe to change lanes, when coming up on any vehicle with flashing lights pulled to the side of a road or highway. That doesn't just mean police lights or tow truck lights, but passenger vehicles with flashing hazards on, too.
"There's a matter of feet separating us from the traffic, and we do need to be able to move around in order to assist the folks that are there," said DPS Highway Patrol Division Lt. Col. Deston Coleman. "If the motoring public can just slow down, take a couple seconds out of their day, slow down, move over, if possible, give us some room, that'll give us an additional 10 to 12 feet to do our jobs and make everybody safe."
On the other end, if you're involved in a minor crash with no injuries, officials remind us to follow the "Quick Clearance" law. That law requires you to get your vehicle off the roadway if it can still be driven and it's safe to do so.
Arizona Department of Health Services also recommends Arizona’s 21,000 Emergency Medical Care Technicians (EMCTs) complete a free four-hour Traffic Incident Management course or register for the November 16 virtual class that teaches first responders how to reduce their risks of being struck by and injured or killed while assisting at highway incidents.