The Maine Department of Public Safety joins with the US DOT and Governor Janet Mills to highlight national Crash Responder Safety Week (#CRSW) with a signed proclamation and the opportunity to bring to light the courageous and often underrepresented stories of our local responders. Every day, these heroes put their lives at risk to ensure our roads are safe and functional.

This year Crash Responder Safety Week (#CRSW), takes place November 13-17, 2023. The Maine Department of Public Safety brings attention to the work of every traffic incident responder and asks every road user to Protect Those Who Protect You. Every minute of every day, law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services, public works, transportation, towing, and other responders work roadside to make roadways safe for all road users.

According to AAA, despite laws being passed in all 50 states, 71 percent of Americans are still unaware of Slow Down and Move Over laws that require drivers to reduce their speed and switch lanes to protect these workers. In some states like Maine, these laws pertain to all motorists of disabled vehicles waiting for help to arrive. This demonstrates that drivers may not realize how risky it is for those working or stranded along highways and roads close to moving traffic.

In keeping roadways safe, a traffic incident responder is struck and killed nearly every week. And many more traffic incident responders sustain life altering injuries. When a traffic incident responder or the response vehicle is struck, the impacts are far reaching – putting a greater long-term strain on limited resources that service far broader community needs. That is why the Department of Public Safety encourages everyone to:

1. Encourage traffic incident responders in your community to take the free, four-hour National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder training available online through the National Highway Institute, or in person through TIM Coordinators within each State. Nearly 700,000 responders have completed this training to date, yet far more have yet to do so.

2. Make an extra push this week to inform drivers in your region about your state’s Slow Down, Move Over law, which requires drivers to slow down, and if possible, moving over, when approaching incident response vehicles such as ambulances, fire engines, tow trucks, safety service patrols, and municipal or utility vehicles.

3. If you are a traffic incident responder, share what it’s like to work roadside when drivers do not slow down and move over, using #CRSW. Be sure to share the message “Protect Those Who Protect You.”

4. And, as a road user, share on social media your appreciation for our traffic incident responders, and stories of when a traffic incident responder came to your rescue, using #CRSW.

“CRSW is our opportunity to shift driver behavior, adhering to Move Over laws, and to promote life-saving National TIM Responder Training for all traffic incident responders,” said Maine Department of Public Safety, in a news release.