CTDOT Press Releases
11/12/2023
CTDOT Urges Drivers to Slow Down and Pay Attention to Keep Crash Responders Safe
National Crash Responder Safety Week is November 13 –17, 2023, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is urging drivers to slow down, move over, and pay attention near traffic incidents. The Crash Responder Safety Week (CRSW) 2023 theme is, “Protect Those Who Protect You,” emphasizing drivers’ role in keeping incident responders safe.
Every year in Connecticut, there are more than 100,000 motor vehicle crashes where responders work close to oncoming traffic. Incident responders put their lives in danger whenever they respond to a crash. Since 2020, around the country, according to the Federal Highway Administration's last year of verifiable data, more than 160 incident responders have been killed in the line of duty due to a secondary crash happening on the roadway.
CTDOT works daily with its partners, including law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical services, towing and recovery, public works, and safety service patrols. Collectively, traffic incident responders work to assist road users in need, applying well-trained procedures to provide emergency traffic control and quickly clear incidents from roadways.
“Incident responders work directly on the roadway, and with drivers traveling way too fast, everyone is being put in harm’s way,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Highway Operations and Maintenance Bureau Chief Paul Rizzo. “We need Connecticut motorists to understand that people are putting their lives on the line every time they respond to an incident. Let’s all do our part in keeping incident responders and roadside workers safe. Slow down, move over, and stay alert so everyone can get home safely.”
“Your Connecticut State Troopers ask all drivers to be our partners in road safety. When you see crash responders at work on state highways, please slow down, move over, and give them room to help those in need,” said Connecticut State Police Interim Colonel Daniel Loughman. “Our Troopers respond to thousands of motor vehicle crashes each year due to irresponsible driving and distracted driving. Please ditch the distractions and call 911 if you see another operator driving recklessly so that we may respond.”
During National Crash Responder Safety Week, CTDOT is highlighting the state’s Move Over law. Connecticut’s Move Over law requires all drivers on a highway of two lanes or more in one direction to slow down to a reasonable level below the speed limit and, if safe to do so, move over one lane not only for emergency responders and tow drivers but for any vehicle along the side of the road. If a driver is cannot move over a lane, they are required to slow down and proceed with caution. In Connecticut, the original law took effect in 2009 to reduce risk to law-enforcement officers, emergency responders, and tow operators. It was expanded in 2017 to apply to every stationary vehicle along the roadside.
To help keep roadside responders safe, CTDOT offers free Traffic Incident Management (TIM) training. The TIM training brings together all incident responders to ensure safe and quick clearance of a crash scene. The training focuses on safety in responding to roadway incidents and standardizes incident management protocols for all responders. Since 2022, CTDOT has held nearly 100 training sessions, providing valuable resources and information to nearly 2,700 incident responders. Additional free training sessions are planned for 2024.
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