Following a terrible accident on Highway 40 early Thursday morning, truck drivers and road workers are asking for change.
“All the time, it’s very, very dangerous,” said Martin Daoust, a spokesperson for the Association des Travailleurs en Signalisation Routière du Quebec, who regularly works at road side construction sites.
Daoust said he risks his life daily to set up orange cones and construction signage.
According to police, three workers picking up orange cones on the 40 overnight were injured by a truck driver who smashed into their safety vehicle.
“Workers were picking up the cones to free the roadway, and the driver slammed into a protection vehicle,” said Daniel Thibodeau, a spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec.
Daoust called the news very sad, but not surprising given the danger he and his colleagues face every day. “People pass fast just next to us,” he explained. “People are rushing all the time, every day.”
The protection vehicle absorbed some of the blow from the full-speed truck.
“If it wasn’t there, we’d be talking about multiple fatalities,” said Thibodeau.
WATCH: 2 Transports Quebec workers seriously injured after Hwy. 40 crash
However, signal workers say just one such vehicle is not enough.
“If we had two or three trucks, maybe the risk becomes lower,” said Daoust. He also believes more police officers should be near construction sites, warning motorists of what’s ahead.
A leading hypothesis being explored by the SQ is that the truck driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
“Drowsy driving, falling asleep at the wheel may be at play here,” Thibodeau said.
For the professional truck drivers, that’s no surprise.
“We’re turned into robots. All that counts is that clock,” said Association des Routiers Professionels du Québec spokesperson Pierre Lacombe.
He says there used to be more flexibility in taking breaks, but now a driver’s every move is tracked remotely by employers.
“The guys are pushing, pushing, pushing,” explained Lacombe.
The truck drivers and the signalers agree that everyone needs to slow down and be careful on the roads in order to help avoid incidents like what happened on the 40.
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