Protected class on highways

Awhile back a new law was passed requiring motorists to move over or slow down when approaching emergency vehicles along a roadway. Now, we've added another protected class to this list, tow truck drivers.

2 comments:

1. Are law enforcement personnel, EMT and now tow truck drivers live's more valuable than anyone else that is parked along side the roadway?
2. Why not take the leap of a law requiring folks to move over or slow down when anyone is parked along the roadway? If we keep adding new requirements all the time, that will be the result because we can't remember who we have to pull over / slow down for and who we don't.

OK, 2 more comments:

1. Isn't it a good practice to pull over into the other lane anytime you approach a parked vehicle on a roadway...no matter who it is? Yes, we can do that even if there is no law requiring it.
2. We need to emphasize that slowing down (if there is not an opening to move over) is an option. I've been almost wrecked twice when driving in the left lane and the driver I'm passing in the right lane sees emergency lights ahead and swerves to the left without looking....one time when motioned to do so by a Highway Patrolman. Maybe law enforcement doesn't realize that once they give folks a hand signal to do something, generally, they just do it, without thinking....apparently just trusting the officer to know what he's doing. Slowing down would be a good option under these circumstances.

Are we asking too much of our drivers? After all, we have to send text messages, talk on the cell phone, read the paper, drink our coffee, eat our breakfast and tailgate the car in front for crying out loud!