Tow truck drivers urge drivers to slow down, move over after frightening incident caught on dash cam
MADISON, Wis. — Tow truck drivers spoke out on behalf of all highway workers to implore drivers to follow the law and move over if they see a car on the side of the road.
The urge for safety comes after a scary incident involving a Finish Line Towing driver occurred over the weekend.
“We were dispatched out for a call right before Fish Hatchery. The vehicle clipped him, the Charger swerved into the lane, came back over and parked,” said Finish Line Towing co-owner John Van. “Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the driver took off running.”
Van said police were not able to catch the driver after they fled on foot, but did arrest the passenger who was still on the scene. The driver of the tow truck is said to be OK.
Van said this type of close call happens more often than he would like.
“They’re not really regarding their life,” Van said.
Van thinks people only change their perspective on safety issues when they experience something scary themselves. He says because not a ton of people are stuck on the side of the highway every day, they don’t realize how scary it is to be out there all the time for work.
“It’s pretty scary,” Van said.
He says tow truck drivers are sick of living in fear and wishes people would move over for tow trucks like they do for cops.
“They have red and blue lights, and people tend to move over for them more than red and amber,” Van said. “People are not going to stop breaking down on the freeway. I can tell you that. We’ve got to come up with some solutions. I think sometimes, drivers are a little more concerned about being a minute early to something or about getting to their couch a minute early to their families, but they forget about the people on the side of the road and their families.”
Speaking on behalf of all highway workers, Van hopes to spread a powerful message to all drivers to slow down and move over.
“It’s worth it. It really is,” Van said.
#FinishLineTowing is urging people to #SlowDownandMoveOver after this scary incident happened to one of their tow truck drivers this weekend. Hear their message tonight on #News3 pic.twitter.com/PQqNVaEluY
— Jamie Perez (@JamiePerezTV) December 17, 2018
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