Move over to protect roadside crews
May 2025
Besides the potential for lineworker injuries, roadside accidents can also damage or destroy expensive service vehicles, reducing a co-op’s ability to respond to outages and other problems.
by Scott Flood, Contributing Columnist
When lineworkers are perched in a bucket truck repairing power lines along a busy road, they have good reason to be concerned about their safety. Working with high voltages and falling are always concerns. Still, their biggest worry may be the most unpredictable of all: a distracted driver slamming into their vehicle or a nearby power pole.
The National Safety Council reported in 2022 that 891 people were killed and 37,701 people were injured at work zone crashes that year, the latest statistics available. Most of those crashes occurred in construction zones, which are usually well-marked. Electric co-op crews are likely to face even greater danger, as they often work alone along remote stretches of roads, frequently in heavy rain or other adverse weather conditions that can reduce their visibility, as well as the visibility of drivers.
The danger of work zone crashes led states to adopt “move over” laws that require drivers to lower their speed and switch lanes to protect emergency vehicles. The goal is to provide an added safety buffer and minimize the potential for accidents. Drivers caught willfully violating the laws can face penalties such as significant fines.
Compounding this issue is the dramatic increase in distracted driving. The National Transportation Highway Safety Administration has reported that as many as 1,000 Americans are injured every day because of activities that take drivers’ attention away from the road. The most common is reading and responding to text messages. If a driver traveling at 55 mph glances at their phone for just five seconds, they will have traveled the length of a football field before returning their gaze to the road.
Many state transportation agencies have work zone awareness programs. Amplifying those efforts by devoting part of a co-op’s advertising, publicity and social media reminds co-op members and other drivers of the importance of giving lineworkers a wide berth.
Co-ops are considering ways they can modify bucket trucks and other service vehicles to make them more visible. Bright colors and additional lighting such as flashing strobe lights and lighted detour arrows can attract attention from a distance. Reflective “work zone ahead” signs can also alert drivers to be ready for an unusual situation. Sometimes, a little bit of extra attention is all that’s needed to prevent a serious incident.
Scott Flood writes on a variety of energy-related topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Co-ops serving rural and remote areas often have power lines along twisty and hilly roads. There is little time to react when encountering a work crew just past a hill or around a curve.