State wants to remind drivers to be cautious around incident responders
Incidents on roadways happen all the time. Whether it is an accident or maintenance just to clear debris out of the way, first responders help play an important role in the safety of traffic.
They are being recognized throughout the state as part of Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week, which runs Nov. 11-17.
“As we go into winter, as people drive around, they’re going to see more incidents along the highways, and they need to pay attention so that they’re giving the people out there working these incidents room to get around,” said Lt. Mike Winans, for Idaho State Police, District 5.
The Idaho Transportation Department wants to remind motorists to keep those incident responders in mind.
“You have cars coming by, especially with the roads getting slick outside,” said Lt. Gordon Croft, of the Blackfoot Police Department. “Things happen in a spilt second. There have been several instances over the past 19 years that I have been a police officer that you have cars that lose control. They’re sliding sideways to not only you, but the person you’re trying to help, and it gets to be a pretty scary situation.”
It is not only on the side of the roads where drivers should be aware of first responders, but really everywhere.
“Guys on my crew have been hit from everything to cars to semitrucks,” said Randy Richards, the Blackfoot maintenance foreman for ITD. “Most of the time, they’re rear-ended from the back. People are driving too fast and coming up on a snowplow and rear-end it. Or they’ll clip the the front of the plow if they pass it and cut in too quick.”
ITD says traffic incidents are the leading cause of death for emergency medical services responders and law enforcement officers.
“I have heard of many, many stories of fellow tow drivers that have been killed on the side of the road,” said Shane Bowers, of Bowers Collision & Refinishing. “As well as officers and cop cars that have been hit too. We see a lot of it at our shop.”
People on the roads can help make first responders’ jobs safer by being engaged while driving.
“They need to pay attention so they are not, No. 1, involved in the crash themselves,” Winans said.
They want people to make sure they are also giving themselves extra time in the morning to be safe.
“Especially with the cold weather,” Croft said. “I’d sure like to see people start their cars early, get out there and get the frost off their windshields. Far too often, especially driving around town, we see people trying to peer through a hole about the size of football.”
As well, just move over when incident responders are present.
“It’s important that we are being safe around these instances so that the first responders can go home at night,” Winans said.
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter proclaimed this week as Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week as a way to recognize those who keep roads safe and fight rising costs of road accidents.
