From TowTimes.com - Angela Roper-Barnett Appointed to Quick Clearance Advisory Group

[TowBot]

The Arizona Professional Towing and Recovery Association has announced that its Executive Director Angela Roper-Barnett has been appointed to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) advisory group addressing safe quick clearance business cases.

 

This advisory group will bring together subject matter experts in their respective fields to provide guidance on promising practices and lessons learned .

 

 

The advisory group’s first meeting is scheduled for mid-November.

 

 

View the full article and more on TowTimes.com

[rreschran]

Hey Angela ... congratulations on your new post with the NHTSA. For a long-time, I've followed your presence on ResponderSafety and other industry sites and believe you can have a huge impact in representing the industry. I just finished posting a stifled rant having to do with yesterday’s tow operator fatality, in Ontario, one that was nearly the exact same circumstances that killed Canadian tower Edgar Arthur Pilon, December 27, 1954. In part it said, "So, here we are, 65-years later since Mr. Pilon's death, I’ve recorded as many as 325-tow operators killed working highway shoulders. Now THAT's a sad state of affairs. To add fire to my poor-attitude, a tow owner called 9 o'clock last night to tell me to stop, "Grandstanding", about tow operator's getting killed. We had a short but heated conversation and to that I'll say, "Steve ... you're an idiot to bury your head in the sand. It's too bad that you and other owners won't get committed to help try and solve this problem." Personally, I was shocked in what he had to say. If towers sit idle and do that, "status quo", thing, tow operator deaths won't go away ... just like the industry's past 65-years' demonstrates. When it comes to tow operator response on the highways, I hate to think gloom and doom with negative hopes that first responder and tow operator fatalities will decrease, but, because I’m a realist, it’s my opinion that move-over laws, Quick Clear programs and Traffic Incident Management have done little to further help protect the lives of first responders and tow operators. All of those programs are, “administrative measures”, that have no working components (other than vehicle positioning) to provide physical protection to work on scene.  The number-one priority of traffic incident management should be greater focus on tow operator safety beyond that of smooth traffic flow. I believe that increased traffic breaks and road closures are better solutions to motorists who drive, “full speed ahead”, regardless as to the weather or conditions of the roadway. So, what’s it take to get this message to Traffic Incident Management? Any ideas? Incident management should make safety the number-one priority for first responders, tow operators and highway workers. And, the hardest reality of all is … first responders and tower's can’t focus on their work if they hafta' focus on dodging cars and motorists.  Grandstand or not ... the fatality numbers speak for themselves."

 

Here's to let you know that the towing and recovery industry is expecting big things from you. I too support you wholeheartedly knowing your's will be no easy task, but enough is enough. I'm hoping you can further the message that something must be done to protect tow operators who respond to on-highway incidents ... whatever that may be. No pressure by the way. Good luck and keep us informed.   R.