Qld road toll rise sees new laws considered to save roadside workers

The RACQ has captured footage of the moment one of their workers had a terrifying near miss. Sadly they say this is all too common an occurrence.

Roadside workers are regularly risking their lives, with staggering figures showing only 6 per cent of drivers move over or change lanes when passing emergency crews.

But new laws being considered by the State Government hope to make the roads safer for emergency crews by requiring drivers to “move over or slow down” around crash sites and breakdowns.

It comes as the state’s peak motoring body RACQ analysed video footage showing that out of 30,000 vehicles passing their work sites, only 5.9 per cent moved over despite having ample room.

Redlands vehicle recovery officer David Tutt, 46, is one of the 70 per cent of RACQ roadside workers who experience a near-miss at least once a year.

RACQ has captured this terrifying near miss.

Last year, Mr Tutt was lying on the side of the Pacific Motorway at Slacks Creek in Logan, hooking up a broken-down car, when a vehicle cut in front of a semi-trailer in the lane next to him and lost control, spinning 180 degrees.

Luckily, Mr Tutt also had a “bump truck”, one of the RACQ traffic response unit vehicles, on scene.

“The bump truck driver saw what was about to happen and hit the horn in the truck, which is what we’re trained to do,” he said.

David Tutt dices with death as a RACQ vehicle recovery officer. Picture: Brad Fleet

“It alerts us to let us know something’s going on and to basically prepare to either jump out of the way or at least see what’s going on.”

Mr Tutt said while roadside responders were trained to have “one eye on the road and one eye on the job” he urged drivers passing flashing lights to give them more space.

“Because all of us have families we’ve got to go home to every night so that’s probably the first thing on our minds,” he said.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads is currently undertaking a review focused on improving the safety of roadside workers which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The legislation would require Queensland motorists to move over or slow down around crash sites and roadside incidents — similar to current laws involving cyclists.

If passed, the laws would help protect paramedics, police, tow truck drivers and roadside assistance workers.

It builds on the work of road safety activist Peter Frazer, who launched the Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH) group, after he tragically lost his 23-year-old daughter in 2012.

Sarah Frazer was driving to start university in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, when her car broke down on the side of the road.

She and tow truck driver Geoff Clark, who had gone to her aid, were killed by a distracted driver shortly after she left a haunting voicemail on her dad’s phone.

“I will never forget those words,” Mr Frazer said.

“She said: ‘Cars and trucks are speeding just centimetres away from my car … no one is changing lanes away from me … I am terrified that they will hit me. I’ve rang NRMA. Dad, please call me’.”

After six years of campaigning by Sarah’s Group, both New South Wales and Western Australia passed laws forcing drivers to move over and slow down when passing roadside workers.

Mr Frazer, like RACQ group executive assistance Glenn Toms, would like to see Queensland be next in line to adopt the road rules.

“Currently, there are huge risks associated with being broken down on the side of a high-speed road in Queensland and for the people who are trying to help such as RACQ staff and emergency workers,” Mr Toms said.

“The law we have recommended to the Queensland Government prioritises drivers moving over to an adjacent lane to provide a safe space to stopped police, ambulance, emergency and breakdown assistance vehicles as well as tow trucks working on the road or roadside.

“If a driver can’t move over to another lane, the driver should slow to a safe speed for the conditions. This would apply on all roads in Queensland.”

A Transport and Main Roads spokeswoman said the department was consulting a range of stakeholders and once completed, the outcomes of the policy review would be “put to State Government for consideration”.