Alberta drivers will now be expected to move over and slow down when passing roadside workers stopped on the sides of roads, or face a $243 fine and points against their licences.
Beginning in September, the Traffic Safety Act will expand to include keeping roadside workers safe from injuries and collisions while on the job.
Drivers in the lane closest to a roadside worker stopped with its lights flashing will have to slow down to 60 km/h—or the posted speed limit if lower—and move to the far lane.
Alberta’s Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen says the government wants to protect police, paramedics, maintenance workers and tow truck drivers so they can get home safely at the day’s end.
The Act originally protected tow truck drivers and first responders, but will move to include snow plow operators and roadside maintenance, among others.
The executive director of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police, Lecticia Alpin, says the association is committed to roadside safety for all, and that the initiative is part of another step toward public safety.
Alberta’s Workers’ Compensation Board reported 2,229 injuries of workers being struck by vehicles between 2014 to 2018, and 130 collisions with snow plow drivers from 2018 to 2021.
