NJ First Responders Sound Alarm about Deadly Roadside Risks

Hamilton, NJ, October 14, 2021 – A new AAA survey of New Jersey first responders, including police, roadside construction/maintenance workers, and tow truck operators, sheds an alarming light on dangerous driving behaviors that have resulted, nationally, in hundreds of deaths at the roadside.

Almost 90% of New Jersey first responders polled* said they have had at least one near miss incident or felt their life threatened because motorists do not slow down or move over for those working along the roadside, despite the fact that New Jersey law requires them to do so.

“Nationwide, an average of 24 first responders are killed every year while working along the roadside – that’s a tragic loss of life every other week,” says Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “That statistic alone indicates that there is more work and education needed to ensure our roadway workers return home safely every day.”

That work, includes a new PSA being launched by AAA this week ahead of National Slow Down Move Over Day (Saturday, October 16th.) The PSA features first responders from across the country who are making an impassioned plea to motorists to give them room on the side of the road to do their jobs safely.

The AAA Poll of New Jersey First Responders* found:

• 65% percent of first responders including law enforcement, EMS, tow truck operators and roadside workers say that, in their experience, New Jersey motorists do NOT slow down and move over for those working along the side of the road
• More than 50% of first responders say they do NOT feel more safe since the Move Over law was put in place
• Almost 90% say that they personally have been involved in a near miss incident or had their life threatened because a motorist failed to move over.

Conflicting Perceptions

The findings of the first responders’ poll are in sharp contrast to an earlier AAA poll of New Jersey drivers – almost 90% of whom said that they do slow down for first responders at the roadside and move over a lane whenever safe to do so. But first responders say that is not what they are experiencing.

“First responders work tirelessly to make our roads safer for all of us, said Eric Heitmann, Director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “In return they ask to be afforded a safe place to work in order to perform their job so that they may return to their families each day. We encourage everyone to please slow down and move over for these workers, and help spread the word. It’s not just the law. It’s the right thing to do.”

Already this year, two AAA tow drivers have been killed while assisting motorists at the roadside - but it’s not just first responders who are at risk. Since 2015, over 1,600 people have been struck and killed while outside of a disabled vehicle.

“The goal is not just to make motorists aware of the law. The goal is to change driver behavior and put an end to these senseless tragedies,” Noble adds. “We can’t stress enough how important it is that drivers move over and change lanes when they see AAA or any other first responder working in and around traffic, by doing so you are potentially saving someone’s life.”

*AAA Survey of New Jersey First Responders, Tow Truck Drivers and Roadside Workers: Survey conducted via Survey Monkey from September 10-19, 2021 resulted in 100 respondents.

**AAA Poll of New Jersey Drivers: AAA surveyed 767 drivers between Aug 18-19, 2021. The poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, NC and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5%.