Starting today, though November 17th is Crash Responder Safety Week, AAA is reminding drivers to help protect workers and emergency personnel who are along roadways by following the state law of Slow Down, Move Over.
“Every minute of every day, traffic incident responders work on the roadside in an effort to help others,” said Elizabeth Carey, Director of Public Relations at AAA Western and Central New York. “Emergency roadside assistance is at the core of AAA’s traffic safety mission. Yet, the men and women who help AAA members when they are in need also put their lives on the line every day.”
The week is aimed to improve roadway safety during traffic incidents by raising awareness with motorists and to encourage all drivers to use caution and responsibility for a safe, quick clearance of traffic incidents.
Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds that 42% of drivers who do not comply with Move Over laws think that their behavior is not dangerous to people on the roadside. According to AAA, analysis of data obtained from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 1,703 people were struck while outside of a disabled vehicle in the U.S. from 2016-2020 with 37 of those being fatalities in New York State.
