Spreading awareness of Move Over Laws on 10/19

The California Tow Truck Association will join over a dozen other States on October 19, 2019 to raise public awareness of Move Over laws and the roadside dangers that towing operators and emergency responders face daily. In the United States, one tow operator is killed in the line of duty every six days.

“We are losing towing operators at an enormous rate. Anything we can do to help stop this, and create awareness for tow trucks, we should try and do our part,” said Angela Barnett, executive director of the Arizona Professional Towing & Recovery Association, which is organizing the nationwide effort.

Unfortunately, the general public lacks a keen awareness of Move Over laws. A National Safety Commission survey indicated that 71 percent of U.S. drivers are unaware of Move Over laws. In addition, the national increase in distracted driving continues to place towing operators in mortal danger as they seek to help others in distress.

“Tow operators are some of the hardest working people on the planet. They are out on the roads every hour of every ­day, protecting the motoring public. Raising awareness of Move Over laws is the least we can do for our fallen brothers and sisters, and hopefully our message will make an impact,” remarked CTTA President Quinn Piening of Central Towing & Transport in Fremont.

The California Tow Truck Association has planned a tow truck/first responder vehicle parade route and event in Los Angeles (Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area), San Francisco (San Leandro Marina) and Cloverdale (Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds). Maps of each route can be found at ctta.com/moveover. Staging of tow trucks and first responder vehicles will begin at 7:00 am at all locations and the route will circle back to their starting points, whereupon attendees will enjoy catered food, raffles, games and more!

The California Tow Truck Association, tow operators, and first responders statewide urge you to join us in highlighting this effort to raise awareness.