The Nebraska State Patrol and Department of Transportation held a ceremony Monday morning to kick off Crash Responder Safety Week. It’s a national campaign sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and emphasizes drivers’ responsibility to ‘Protect Those Who Protect You’ by promoting simple safety practices that keep emergency responders out of harm’s way on the road.
NDOT Director Vicki Kramer says the week is a also a chance to publicly thank the tow truck drivers, law enforcement, paramedics, firefighters and road crews who respond to roadside crashes, often putting their safety at risk. “Protecting Nebraskans and emergency responders requires everyone, especially drivers, to do their part by slowing down, moving over and respecting those serving as first responders,” Kramer says.
Nebraska State Patrol Major Jeff Wilcynski says troopers have already issued 122 citations this year to drivers for failing to move over. “In the last ten years, 150 troopers across the country have been killed in move-over related crashes, including earlier this year in Nebraska when (Ceresco) officer Ross Bartlett was killed while performing a traffic stop.”
Bartlett pulled a vehicle over on Highway 77 in Lancaster County and another vehicle slammed into the back of his cruiser. Wilcynski urges drivers to practice safe habits on every trip.