Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who helped pass a state law allowing towing operators to use blue lights, says he's now working on a bill to add photos of fallen tow truck drivers and other first responders to roadside signs as a warning to drivers to slow down and move over. Meantime, Mastriano said at a press conference that he's seeing some improvement among drivers moving over or slowing down for emergency vehicles since the blue light law was passed in 2022. "Wherever states had blue lights on the back of trucks, people pay attention. They think it's law enforcement, not a tow truck operator. And so distracted drivers are less distracted when they see the blue lights."
In other news, towing operator Salena Khan of Nelcon Towing & Recovery in North Haven, Conn., has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the state's Move Over law. The campaign, titled Life on the Line, is pushing for a law allowing red and blue lights on the back of tow trucks instead of only yellow ones. She has met with State Sen. Paul Ciccarella, a member of the state's Public Safety Committee, to discuss the idea. "It's something that does need to be addressed. It does make sense that maybe that can help," Ciccarella said.
Khan said she has found a loophole around using only yellow towing lights: towing operators can put red and blue lights on emergency cones placed around tow trucks during emergencies. "I wish people would respect that law because I shouldn't have to watch my back every two seconds while I'm just trying to do my job," Khan said.
Khan told News12 Connecticut that Life on the Line aims
to educate the next generation of drivers. She's working with local driving schools to teach students about the importance of slowing down and moving over for towing operators and first responders working roadside. In addition, Khan plans to sell Life on the Line apparel via a new website with a portion of the profits to be donated to the International Towing Museum's Survivor Fund.
