A colleague losing their life while assisting another vehicle is not only unfair: it should never have to happen. We must be aware and protect those who work on the road.
We began the week with more tragic news from the road: the death of a colleague, a roadside assistance operator, while providing a roadside assistance service on the AP-1, near Monasterio de Rodilla, in Burgos. He was a 50-year-old man who, as reported by Burgos Conecta, was hit by a lorry while attending a broken-down car. At the Red de Empresas de Auxilio en Carretera (REAC) we wish to express our sorrow at what happened; but we also want to ask whether it would be possible to eradicate these accidents.
What is road safety? Slowing down if you see an accident? Of course. In this way, fatal accidents like this one can be prevented. We are talking about an “accident within an accident” that could have been avoided. The community of roadside assistance operators reminds people of this every so often on their social media and blogs, with a clear message. Urging vehicles to leave a distance of 3 metres between themselves and tow trucks. Calling for care when we pass a crash or incident.
Roadside assistance companies send tow truck drivers out to do their job, not to meet their death. As happened in July 2017 to a driver on the A2 near Alcarràs (Lleida); the accident, in which two other people were injured, was reported by El Periódico. In September of that same year, another roadside assistance operator died in Sagunto, adding to a list in Valencia of four professionals in total killed between 2014 and 2017.
Remembering the DGT Protocol
The Roadside Assistance Protocol of the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), to which we devoted another entry in this post, was very important for the sector. Since 2015 we have known what is expected of all of us on the road, especially when we come across a roadside assistance tow truck that represents an obstacle we must get around and respect: take great care. There is a great deal at stake. Human lives.
Companies such as Grupo Docu—a REAC member company—point out on their website that slowing down and overtaking the group formed by the roadside assistance tow trucks and the crashed vehicles while keeping a safety distance of 3 metres is essential. Our lives depend on it.