9/12/2023 0 Comments Slow down move over flag![]() It’s also important that any driver who’s broken down takes as many safety precautions as possible. We’d like drivers to comply voluntarily with something that we think is a perfectly reasonable, common sense request. It’s viewed as being such an important contribution towards saving lives that the police enforce the law rigorously, regularly handing out $200 (£156) fines to anyone who flouts it. Where possible, the law says give a lane’s space and slow to around 20mph lower than the speed limit, depending on the state. In states across the US, it’s the law that when you approach emergency or breakdown vehicles that are stopped with their lights flashing, you should pull over and slow down. The aim of our joint letter to Jesse Norman, under secretary of state for transport, was to alert ministers to a situation that will get worse without a culture change. And that makes you and whoever comes to your rescue even more vulnerable than in other roadside situations.Ī busy ‘smart’ motorway with the hard shoulder being used as a ‘live’ lane can be a dangerous environment to break down in (Picture iStock)Īt the beginning of October 2018, we along with the AA and RAC wrote to government to highlight the problem. Break down away from a refuge area and you could be stranded in a lane that others may be expecting to drive in. During peak hours, these can turn the hard shoulder into a ‘live’ lane. The new generation of smart motorways spreading throughout the country play a part too. The vehicles and the journeys on our roads goes up relentlessly every year. If they aren’t, the number of accidents at the roadside is only going to increase. The reason we’ve decided it’s time to act with the ‘Slow down, move over’ campaign is that positive steps must be taken. Yet those are the conditions our technicians regularly go to work in to rescue our members. If it’s dark, windy, raining or foggy, things get even more treacherous beside the road. That can happen in the light, when the weather’s good. When lorries rush past, the draught they create at motorway speeds is sufficient to pull a fully-grown man into the carriageway. ![]() Even the smallest vehicle passing by at a relatively modest speed punches a big enough hole in the air to ruffle your clothes. There have even been cases where technicians at the roadside have sadly paid the ultimate price. I’ve heard countless tales of near misses from our technicians who’ve been working on customers’ vehicles by the road. It’s an easy habit to get into, it takes seconds to do but it could save someone’s life.Īs head of Service Delivery – Rescue for Green Flag, I’m possibly more aware than most how dangerous it is by the side of the road. If they see someone’s stopped, we’d like drivers to simply slow down and move over. This campaign is urging drivers to be more aware of what’s happening beside the road. Whether it’s by something interesting on the radio or pondering a problem at work, we don’t always think about what’s going on outside our own little bubble. We all know how easy it can be to have our attention diverted when driving. We’re asking drivers to pay more attention to what’s going on at the side of the road. To raise awareness about this, we at Green Flag have come together with the AA and RAC to support the ‘Slow down, move over’ campaign. It’s no exaggeration to say that for some people it can be deadly. If you’ve ever had to get out of your car at the roadside, you’ll know what a hostile place it can be. If you see something like this ahead, slow down and give it plenty of space (Picture iStock)
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