You’re driving along on a sunny day, minding the speed limit, when you encounter an electric cooperative crew working on the side of the road. Do you slow down, move over or continue driving normally? If you can safely do so, moving over to give our crew an empty lane as a buffer is ideal. If you’re unable to move over before passing the crew, your next best option is to slow down significantly.
In 2015, speeding was involved in 28 percent of fatal crashes that occurred in construction or maintenance zones, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Texas’ Move Over/Slow Down requirement, though it doesn’t extend to your co-op’s employees specifically, nevertheless offers excellent guidance for safely negotiating any roadside work. The law states that when drivers encounter tow trucks, police, fire, emergency medical service or Texas Department of Transportation vehicles stopped on the side of the road with emergency or alternately flashing lights activated, the motorist must:
- Vacate the lane closest to the applicable vehicle stopped on the side of the road (if the road has multiple lanes traveling in the same direction).
- Or slow down to 20 mph below the speed limit.
While this statute may not officially apply to our personnel, they face the same risks when working alongside a busy roadway as all of the workers the law includes. For their safety, we’d appreciate if you’d extend to them the same courtesy that the law requires for first responders and others. Whether they’re restoring an outage, trimming trees or otherwise clearing rights-of-way, our employees perform an invaluable service, and we care about them deeply. With your help, we can help make sure they go home to their families every day.
