A one-year pilot project will allow Alberta tow truck drivers to add blue lights to their vehicles to improve driver safety.
Previously, blue lights were strictly limited to police vehicles in Alberta.
Saskatchewan was the first province to allow towing vehicle lighting. The law was passed in 2017 a month after a driver died while answering a call in a snowstorm.
One of Gregg Wilson’s drivers was sent to hospital last December after an accident in Parkland County. The owner of APL Towing and Recovery then renewed the policy change calls.
According to Wilson, it remains a concern they deal with every day.
Another driver ran into this crane on the side of Highway 16 in December. The owner of the towing company hopes that the blue and amber lights will improve driver safety in the future. (Submitted by Gregg Wilson)
“Drivers have always been pretty decent when it comes to moving or slowing down,” Wilson said. “But there are still the same number of people who don’t seem to care. We need to have our eyes on the back of our head.”
A second driver was also hit during the winter. Wilson said his injuries were more serious than those of the first driver, but he was also able to recover.
Wilson said the additional security measures that homeowners are forced to take sometimes also affect their business. Sending a “blocking truck” has become a common part of towing jobs, especially on roads with higher speeds. A second truck will be incorporated to ensure that they have the space to work safely.
Wilson says keeping staff safe is key, but labor, gas, and reduced ability to respond to other jobs are taking their toll.
“It’s killing companies, like, literally,” Wilson said.
“I know a lot of people who are struggling and putting another truck on the road means the customer will pay more, unless it’s more courtesy from the company if they can afford it.”
He hopes the blue lights will be enough to allow tow truck operators to operate without the need for additional trucks, but that comes down to drivers on Alberta highways.
“It only takes one person not to slow down to cause a major incident,” he said.
Research has shown that the combination of amber and blue light is one of the most effective in trying to attract the attention of motorists, according to Jeff Kasbrick, vice president of law and operations for the Alberta Motor Association (AMA). ).
He told CBC in a 2021 interview with CBC Radio Active and added that the organization had been pressuring the government for more than three years. Kasbrick said at the time that AMA drivers answer high-risk calls on a daily basis.
As of December 2019, AMA data show at least 36 upcoming incidents and 14 incidents related to tow trucks.
In a statement describing the pilot’s approval, the province said it is also considering allowing lights to the snowplows.
Alberta Transportation’s numbers show 128 collisions with snowplows contracted between March 2018 and March 2021.
The one-year pilot project for tow trucks will begin on June 30th.