New Brunswick tow truck operators are calling on the province to fast-track changes in the Motor Vehicle Act to make it safer for drivers to respond to calls on the highway this winter.
Andrew Aker is a member of the New Brunswick Towing and Recovery Group and said when he responds to a call for help on the highway, he can’t help but think of Const. Francis (Frank) Deschênes, the RCMP officer who was struck and killed along Highway 2 near Memramcook, N.B. this September.
“He stopped to help a motorist with a flat tire which is basically what we do on the side of the road,” said Aker.
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That’s why the New Brunswick Towing and Recovery group is meeting with the N.B. Department of Public safety next week to ask for changes in the move over legislation.
The law requires vehicles to move over into the outside lane when emergency vehicles like police cars and ambulance are pulled over on the side of the highway or face a possible fine.
Tow trucks are not included under the act.
“Now with the vehicles off the road and the cold and the breakdowns we are going to be all winter out on the highways,” said John Boudreau from Loftus Auto Clinic and Towing in Moncton.
He hopes the province will act soon.
The province of Saskatchewan passed similar legislation last spring, allowing tow trucks to carry both blue and amber lights. That move happened a mere month after the death of a tow truck driver who was struck and killed along the roadside during a blizzard in March.
“It is going to save a life. It is the only way to do it,” said Boudreau
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Aker, who will attend the meeting as a member of the group, is also asking the province to change a portion of the Motor Vehicle Act to allow tow trucks to be equipped with blue lights.
Right now he said the trucks are only able to use amber lights, similar to those used by other vehicles
“It really does not attract much attention anymore and we feel that having a blue light on the truck will stand out and differentiate us from the garbage truck and parcel delivery van and all those other vehicles on the road,” said Aker.
“We are aware of these issues and have had discussions with the tow truck industry regarding changes to the Motor Vehicle Act. These issues are under consideration by the department,” said Robert Guguaya, a spokesperson with the Department of Public Safety, in an email to Global News.