LAKELAND – As of June 30, a pilot project affecting Alberta’s tow truck operators and snowplows came into effect after a winter season that saw an especially high number of collisions and near misses with roadside workers.
Tow truck operators will now be allowed to use blue lights, alongside the standard amber lights, to increase visibility and safety while working on Alberta roads and highways.
Since December 2019, there have been at least 36 near misses and 14 serious roadside incidents involving Alberta tow trucks and passing vehicles, according to reports by Alberta Motor Association (AMA).
This year, within a roughly two-week period in January, Lakeland tow truck operators reported four serious incidents that occurred in the region spanning from Waskatenau through to St. Paul and Bonnyville.
On Jan. 4, three vehicles had collided with a tow truck that was in the process of removing a vehicle from the ditch in the St. Paul area. No motorists were charged in relation to the incident.
Just three days later, a tow truck operator was clipped by a passing vehicle travelling at high speeds near Bonnyville. The operator survived but was taken to hospital.
A Calgary man was charged with careless driving and driving at an unreasonable speed as a result of the incident.
Prior to those incidents, a vehicle in the process of being assisted by a tow truck was struck by a passing vehicle near Smoky Lake, while a near miss took place in the Waskatenau area around the same time.
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“It's scary because within the last week, within 100 kilometers of each other, four companies have been either hit or almost hit. One of them is a very, very good friend of ours and he got hit,” Kayla Mosher with AM PM Towing and Recovery, told Lakeland This Week back in January.
While the four serious incidents stand out as somewhat of an anomaly, changes to increase the safety of roadside assistance workers and snowplows have since made it through the Alberta Legislative Assembly in the form of Bill 207 – the Traffic Safety (Tow Truck Warning Lamps) Amendment Act.
The Private Member’s bill that was introduced by MLA Brad Rutherford on April 28, allows for the addition of blue lights on tow trucks. A change that many advocates and tow truck operators have been calling on the government to do for years.
“Every Albertan deserves to be safe at work, even if their office is at the side of the road. Today we affirm this point and we’re grateful to the government for this announcement,” said Michelle Chimko, president and CEO of AMA, following the announcement of the pilot project.
“This change is as simple as it is profound, and it will make a life-saving difference for Alberta’s essential tow operators and the Albertans they’re responding to.”
Consideration is also being given to snowplow operators to take part in the pilot project this fall.
During the one-year pilot project, Alberta Transportation will work with the University of Alberta to research possible light configuration changes for snowplows.
“This pilot project is intended to increase safety for these operators and will help determine the best lighting for tow trucks in Alberta,” said Rajan Sawhney, the former Minister of Transportation.
Between March 2018 and March 2021, there were 128 collisions involving snowplows contracted by Alberta Transportation, according to information provided by the Alberta government.
Tow truck operators respond
Al Stewart, a tow truck operator based in St. Paul, is still not convinced that blue lights will make a difference to employee safety over the long term, but nevertheless his company will be outfitting the company fleet with blue lights.
“I don’t know what the right answer is,” said Stewart. “If they feel it's going to be safer, of course, I'm going to try it. I hope I'm wrong and it works. But I just feel it's going to be the same old thing where people just aren't going to slow down and pay attention.”
Ultimately, Stewart feels that public awareness campaigns and enforcement of road laws are the only way to effectively curb unsafe driving around roadside workers and anyone stuck on the shoulder.
When CSN JD Collison Towing operator Joel Dechaine heard the province was moving ahead with the blue light pilot project, he was both relieved and excited about it.
“I believe the whole towing industry in Alberta is happy with it,” said Dechaine. “Blue lights, as we know, are about the only thing that are truly going to slow down people because they think it’s the cops.”
Dechaine's company has already placed orders for blue LED pylon lights for their tow trucks and is just waiting for them to arrive.
Once the new replacement lights arrive, the process of switching equipment over will begin.
“Basically, the whole lighting system at the top of your truck needs to be taken apart and changed over,” he explained.
The cost of these upgrades will fall on the towing companies and private operators, with some blue light bars costing around and above $450, with price increases matching an increase in demand, according to Stewart.
Before outfitting towing vehicles with blue lights, operators will also have to apply for a Vehicle Equipment Exemption permit with Alberta Transportation. The cost of the permit is $55 per vehicle.
Despite the added costs, Dechaine is happy to move forward with the lights.
“It doesn't matter what it cost. If it's going to make our drivers safer, then it's the right thing to do – that's all that matters.”
Additional rules to take effect in 2023
Starting in the spring of 2023, all motorists travelling in the same direction on multi-lane highways will need to slow down to at least 60 km/h and allow one lane of space, where possible, when passing stopped emergency vehicles, tow trucks and roadside workers’ vehicles when their lights are flashing, according to the Government of Alberta.
Current laws indicate that motorists must slow down to at least 60 km/h or the posted speed limit, whichever is lower, when passing emergency vehicles or tow trucks while their lights are on.
The inclusion of requiring one lane of space, where possible, will be a new addition to Alberta road laws.
Motorists travelling in both directions on single-lane highways will still be required to slow down to at least 60 km/h when passing roadside vehicles and workers.
