Tow truck drivers are risking their lives:

[TowForce]

Tow truck drivers are risking their lives: 'Very lucky got to live another day

 

Al Padilla, owner of Express Towing and Recovery, has been towing cars in need of assistance for 35 years. Each day, he said he goes to work with the same worry.

 

“Number one fear is not coming home to my family,” Padilla said.

 

Padilla said tow truck drivers often deal with having to load cars onto their trucks in areas close to, or even in the lane of main roads, putting them at risk of being hit.

 

“People need to be aware of their surroundings, and with all the distractions at the wheel today, we’re usually the ones that are most forgotten about, and terrible things, a catastrophe could happen,” Padilla said. “Basically, you’re going out to do a simple tow, and you just don’t come back anymore or you’re seriously injured.”

 

The state’s Move Over Law, enacted in 2011, requires drivers to move from the lane next to an emergency situation, where workers are performing their jobs, unless traffic or other issues prevent them from doing so. It was meant to protect first responders and other crews while providing assistance on state roads. In 2012, tow truck drivers were added to the list of people for whom drivers needed to change lanes. However, Padilla said he routinely sees drivers putting his own life and others’ at risk.

 

“I had one vehicle get hit, but I was on the other side of the vehicle when it happened. I was on the shoulder talking to the disabled motorist,” Padilla said. “Very lucky got to live another day.”

 

Padilla said he and his employees take precautions to stay as safe as possible by wearing reflective gear, using emergency lights on the trucks, sending out a radio call when they begin and finish a job and calling for police to assist with a lane closure if a car is in a bad spot.

 

“Basically, you just have to keep eyes on the back of your head at all times. It takes one split-second, and you get hit by a vehicle,” Padilla said.

A state police spokesperson said New York State Troopers issued a total of 7,322 tickets for failure to move over violations in 2022.

 

Padilla said he hopes more people will start paying better attention to their surroundings and move over, when possible, to help keep them safe.

 

“We try to get out there and do the job as quickly and efficiently as possible, and like I said, with all the distractions on the road, it makes it all the more dangerous and makes you worry about it every time you get behind the wheel of the truck,” Padilla said.

 

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