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Canton of Manheim. Police, firefighters and Wayne’s Towing and Recovery have teamed up to raise awareness of a new state law requiring drivers to travel to emergency sites.
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa .– A Lancaster County Police Department is trying to publicize a new law that is impacting drivers.
On Wednesday, the police department teamed up with Wayne’s Towing and Recovery for “Operation Move Over.”
“It’s pretty scary because they are [drivers] inches away from you at a time, ”said Lt. Michael Piacentino, Public Information Officer.
“222 is very scary for us. We had another towing company in an area that lost an operator and his customer on 222. They were both hit by an impaired driver, ”said Wayne McDade, co-owner of Wayne’s Towing and Recovery.
McDade knows the risk he faces every time he stops to help someone on the side of the road.
“This is absolutely the most dangerous part of the job. Statistics show that a tow truck driver is hit and killed every six days,” McDade said.
He quotes data from AAA. The driver of the tow truck was also hit.
“Twice. Nothing serious. My most serious injury was to some muscles in my shoulder,” he said.
McDade and the Manheim Township Police and Fire Department want to prevent future injuries and deaths and save drivers from costly citations.
As part of “Operation Move Over”, they have placed a giant billboard along some of Lancaster County’s busiest roads. The signage reminded drivers of the new PA law that requires them to travel when approaching emergency response scenes or face a $ 500 fine.
“Today is not an application day. Today is simply an awareness campaign,” Lt. Piacentino added.
While it is unsafe for a driver to move, the law requires drivers to pump breaks. They must slow down to 20 mph or more below the posted speed limit. For example, if the posted speed limit is 65 mph, that means a driver should slow down to no more than 45 mph.
The new law sets fines at $ 500 for first-time offenders, $ 1,000 for a second offense and $ 2,000 for a third or subsequent offense.
“With the enactment of this new law, I’m already starting to see a change. I actually see brake lights, so the news is spreading and it’s effective,” Lt. Piacentino added.
On Wednesday morning, Lieutenant Piacentino felt pleasantly surprised watching the drivers of the 222. Everyone followed the new law.
Police, firefighters and Wayne’s Towing also staged a scene along part of Route 30 which is considered a high accident rate area.
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