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Slow down, move over for roadside crews: BCAA, Kelowna RCMP

Kelowna RCMP said there have been 13 deaths and 204 roadside injuries in the last decade

The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) and the Kelowna RCMP are reminding people to slow down and move over when they see roadside crews at work.

Kelowna RCMP’s Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy said that in the last ten years, there have been 13 deaths and 204 injuries due to collisions at the side of the road.

This was why on Monday, Nov. 9, BCAA crews and the RCMP staged a tow scene at Duck Lake near Lake Country to remind people of what they need to do when they see crews helping a stranded motorist.

“We have a law here in B.C. called the ‘slow down, move over’ law. It requires you as a motorist when you see flashing amber, red or blue lights to slow down,” Noseworthy said.

“If you’re in a plus 80-kilometre an hour zone, that requires you to slow down to 70 kilometres an hour. If you’re in less than an 80-kilometres an hour zone, it’s 40 kilometres an hour that you’re required to slow down too, and you’re required to move over to an open lane to get past that scene.”

She added the law is not just for when tow crews are on the side of highways, but it’s also for traffic controllers, construction crews, garbage collectors and municipal workers doing roadside maintenance.

“A lot of the times people forget that this law still applies to them, or what to do when they come to a tow scene. It’s a very dangerous thing to be on the side of the road doing your job and everyone has the right to go home safely at the end of the day.”

BCAA senior manager of automotive safety and training Dave Weloy said he hears from his workers every day about drivers speeding past while they’re working and they want to remind people that they’re putting people at risk when they do that.

“They’re out there working, they got their lights flashing and people are not slowing down and not moving over, and that’s serious,” he said.

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Twila Amato
Video journalist, Black Press Okanagan
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Twila Amato

About the Author: Twila Amato

Twila was a radio reporter based in northern Vancouver Island. She won the Jack Webster Student Journalism Award while at BCIT and received a degree in ancient and modern Greek history from McGill University.
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