The last thing emergency workers need when they’re trying to save a life is to be worried about their own safety.
For that reason, the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) is pushing for new legislation to make it safer for emergency workers when they’re on the scene of an accident.
As it stands with Alberta law, anyone in the lane directly beside a crash must slow down to 60 kilometres per hour while passing emergency crews. It’s called the Slow Down Move Over legislation.
“We’re suggesting Alberta legislation apply to all lanes of travel in the same direction,” said Jeff Kasbrick with AMA.
“In the past, there has been a number of close calls,” said Calgary EMS spokesperson Adam Loria, “and also incidents that have resulted in paramedics being injured and having to receive treatment because of being struck by a vehicle.”
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AMA’s tow truck drivers have faced similar concerns.
“In Calgary, we’ve had unfortunate incidents in the past few years of our operators being struck on Deerfoot Trail,” Kasbrick said. “Near misses, circumstances where our tow truck drivers are required to jump out of harm’s way or it comes close to a collision is a regular occurrence, unfortunately, on our roads.”
AMA made the same push to change the legislation in 2017.
LISTEN: AMA’s Jeff Kasbrick joins Rob Breakenridge to discuss the need to change the “Slow Down Move Over” legislation
A year later, the conversation between the government and AMA is ongoing, but there is no timeline for when or if the change will be made.
A statement from the Ministry of Transportation reads:
The Government of Alberta is committed to making sure our roads are safe for Alberta drivers and families. We are always looking at ways to improve our current safety standards and welcome feedback from important stakeholders, like the AMA. At this time, we are focused on a number of important policy improvements that would enhance driver examination services and training, as well as increased safety standards for the commercial trucking industry. If folks have suggestions that would make our roads even safer, we encourage them to reach out to the Minister’s office.
The ministry is set to unveil new rules for large commercial trucks in January 2019, calling it its top priority.
But Kasbrick is confident change to Slow Down Move Over legislation is coming.
“It’s a point where we’re all committed. I think the province as well as ourselves at AMA are very focused on traffic safety and doing all we can to improve safety along Alberta’s roads and highways,” Kasbrick said.
“We’re quite encouraged in the discussions we’re having and we’re hopeful we’ll be able to move this forward.”
According to the RCMP, 443 tickets were issued for speeding past emergency vehicles in 2017.
Between January and the end of July 2018, 354 tickets were issued.