A Warning to Drivers on the Road

In the towing industry, there are a handful of people who eat, sleep, and breathe tow trucks - and one of these people is Todd Chase. Having been in the industry for 22 years, Todd knows all the ins and outs of the tow truck industry. He has become deeply involved in the community while in his position as Vice President of the Statewide Towing Associate. After the tragic death of Kevin St. Pierre Jr., Todd wrote this email as a warning to his fellow drivers. We feel it’s so important that we should share it with all of you. [mks_separator style="double" height="4"] “Some of you may have already seen this video, as it was posted yesterday.  This is the video of a funeral procession for a 22-year old tow operator who was struck and killed on the side of the Massachusetts Turnpike a couple of weeks ago. Please share this with all of your employees that work on the side of the road. Remind them of the dangers that they face day in and out. A lot of you may already know this; I am a tow operator trainer for the Massachusetts Statewide Towing Academy.  One of the first things that we talk about in our program is SAFETY and how to work safer on the roadways.  There are motorists out there that we call “D” drivers, they represent the 4 D’s:

• Drunk (alcohol or drugs)
• Distracted (texting, talking on the phone, changing the radio, etc.)
• Drowsy
• just plain Dumb

I tell everyone that comes through my class the following four disciplines that may be the difference between going home at the end of your day or being carried away in a body bag:

• WEAR YOUR HIGH VIS CLOTHING EVERY TIME YOU GET OUT OF THE TRUCK! (ANSI Level III is required by federal law on any roadway that has a speed of 50MPH or more)
• USE THE NON-ROADSIDE CONTROLS WHEN OPERATING YOUR TRUCK (the roadside is the wrong side)
• TRY NOT TO TURN YOUR BACK TO TRAFFIC FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME
• STAY ALERT

I know that this may seem like common sense for most of you, but if you don’t drive it into the heads of your employees constantly, these accidents are going to keep happening.  Every 6 days a tow operator loses his life on the side of the road in the United States, please keep yourselves safe.” [mks_separator style="double" height="4"] There is a reason that laws like “Slow Down, Move Over” are in place. Any person working on interstates or highways is putting his or her life in danger while helping all of us. It’s up to the tow truck drivers to implement various safety measures, and it’s up to the other drivers on the road to stay aware of these emergency trucks and move over. If we all pay more attention to the roads and don’t fall victim to other distractions, we will be able to have safer roadways for everyone. Please share Todd’s important message in the wake of this awful story, so we may try avoid future tragedies. Thank you.