Friday April 29, 2022 | NANAIMO, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
A campaign called Slow Down Move Over Drivers Awareness will be rolled out on the Island Highway tomorrow, Saturday April 30.
The initiative is about promoting the importance of being aware of the roadside dangers that exist for workers and emergency vehicles when motorists don’t slow down and move over.
In British Columbia, motorists are required to slow down and move over for all vehicles stopped alongside the road that have flashing red, blue or yellow lights.
This includes maintenance workers, utility workers, police, fire, ambulance, tow trucks, Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement personnel, land surveyors, animal control workers, garbage collectors and other roadside workers.
Motorists must slow their speed to:
- 70km/h when in an 80km/h or over zone
- 40km/h when in an under 80km/h zone
Lives on the line:
Every year tow truck operators across British Columbia put their lives on the line to assist drivers when they are most in need, yet many British Columbians remain unaware of the laws around safely approaching a tow truck vehicle with it’s lights engaged.
BCAA & RCMP:
The BC Automobile Association (BCAA) and the Nanaimo RCMP will be out on local roadways to remind drivers to slow down and move over when approaching stopped vehicles displaying flashing lights.
Specifically on Saturday April 30 in the southbound lane of the Island Highway, north of Dorman Road.
Safety stop:
BCAA and the RCMP will be holding a safety stop to educate drivers who fail to follow the law and do not follow the slow down move over rule when they observe a stopped vehicle with a flashing light.
If travelling on a multi-lane road, drivers must move into another lane to pass when passing stopped vehicles with a flashing light, where safe to do so. This provides roadside workers and emergency personnel with greater protection from accident and injury.
Warning letters:
The RCMP will be handing out warning letters notifying drivers on the rules of the road and reminding them to drive safely.
In BC, drivers failing to adjust their speed or failing to move over may receive a $173 traffic violation ticket that also carries 3 penalty points. Offences and infractions that include penalty points can lead to a driving prohibition.
