You may have heard this before, but the importance of the statement still rings true. As a tow truck operator, I get to see some amazing things. Some things are down right scary.
Recently, I was dropping off a vehicle at a tire shop. The management of the store asked me to drop the vehicle on the side of the building. Just after dropping the vehicle, another vehicle comes flying around the corner. I was in a tight space, and in the process of straightening my vehicle to pull out of the drive. The driver had wedged herself between myself and the building, with the car I had just dropped blocking her front. At first she tried to see if there was a way to maneuver herself through without waiting for my exit. Luckily she reconsidered that. I think one of the hardest things for folks to remember is that my tow truck does not move like your little cars or trucks. It just doesn’t work that way. I’m heavy and long. It takes a lot of space to stop and I can’t turn on a dime. I realize that the tow truck is sometimes an inconvenience, but we move as quickly and safely as we can.
I know most of you may not be aware, but my wife and I keep tabs on what is happening in the towing industry around the nation. We just read a story the other day about two tow operators being hit on the roadside in Illinois and there was/is a massive manhunt to track down the driver (have not yet seen an update to this story). Luckily, the both operators were alive and recuperating from their injuries. More often than not, the scariest moments arise when the general public decides not to recognize towing services as emergency response vehicles. Some states still haven’t come around to that either.
In 2011, the state of Arizona expanded the Move Over Law to include ANY vehicle on the roadside with flashing lights. On a busy road, the risk of becoming a statistic is too high, even if you are in a broken down vehicle.
I know I have shared some of these things before, and I will likely do so again. Sometimes it’s just good to be reminded to be aware. At the end of the day, we all want to go home. We have family and friends we want to see and share with, and one silly mistake can take that all away from somebody. Be safe. Be aware.
Atomic Towing 