Sibley, Iowa — An area fire chief who is also a trainer for the State Fire Service Training Bureau says people need to remember to slow down and change lanes if possible when they come upon flashing lights on the side of the road — especially during rough conditions like we’ve been experiencing.
Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls tells us more.
He says they’re finding that if they stop all traffic, it’s actually more hazardous. So they’re trying to clear the scene as quickly as possible and move stuff to the side of the road so that they don’t create more crashes. But that means people are going to have to remember the “move over law.” He gives us some reminders.
But, he says it can happen to EMS personnel, firefighters, and law enforcement too. Huls says not only should you make a lane change if it’s safe to do so, but you need to slow down as well. If you can’t move over due to traffic in the other lane, you need to slow way down for any flashing lights, including emergency personnel, tow operators, maintenance vehicles, utility trucks, and even private vehicles with their hazard lights on. And Huls says, “Put down the phone. They get people killed.”
