Recent AAA data shows significant danger roadside workers face
TAMPA, Fla. - AAA released new data on the number of fatal crashes involving roadside assistance providers, including tow truck drivers.
Researchers studied crash reports involving mobile mechanics, emergency roadside technicians, and other roadside assistance providers from 2015 to 2021.
They found 123 deaths caused by passing vehicles during those six years. That number is considerably higher than what the national data shows.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 34 deaths involving roadside assistance providers from 2015 to 2021.
The reason behind the discrepancy, AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins said, is that crash reports will sometimes incorrectly classify victims as pedestrians instead of roadside assistance providers.
"The problem is bigger than we initially thought," Jenkins said.
Here’s what else the study found:
- 89% of crashes happened in locations with a 55 mph or higher speed limit.
- Nearly one in three crashes happened in daylight.
- 84% of crashes occurred in good weather without slippery road conditions.
READ: Gov. DeSantis signs bill expanding 'move over' laws
On January 1, House Bill 425 went into effect, expanding Florida's Move Over Law. It requires drivers to move over a lane for disabled vehicles displaying warning or hazard lights or if there's somebody outside the vehicle while it's stopped.
If drivers can't move, they have to slow down to 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit.
FOX 13 asked tow truck drivers if they think the new legislation will help make their jobs safer.
"I will say ‘yes’ if (drivers) do it," AAA tow truck driver Theo Whitehead said. "But, you know, people don't follow the laws."
In 2016, three tow truck drivers were killed in three separate incidents in Hillsborough County.
READ: 'Move over': Tow truck drivers remember one of their own
In February, Roger Perez Borroto was struck by a motorist while on the Howard Frankland Bridge.
READ: Man who hit tow truck driver takes plea deal
Troy McGuire was hit on I-75 at Big Bend Road in October.
READ: Tow truck drivers honor driver killed on the job
In November, Danny Hand was hit while helping a driver who'd broken down on the side of Interstate 275 South, near Fowler Avenue.
"People don't realize what the spiderweb effect is when you hit and kill or injure somebody," Ginger Darling, owner of Nationwide Towing, said. "We're out here working."