U.S. Sens. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Catherine Cortez Mastro (D-NV) have introduced legislation designed to protect first responders and roadside workers as they do their jobs roadside.
The bipartisan Safe Roads for Those Who Serve Act would enhance strategies to help reduce the risk of injury or death faced by law enforcement officers, emergency medical services, fire and rescue services, tow truck drivers, construction workers and others who work on the roadside.
“Every day in Pennsylvania and across the country, law enforcement officers, EMS crews, and roadside workers put themselves in harm’s way—often just feet from speeding traffic—to keep the rest of us safe,” McCormick said. “This bipartisan effort will improve data collection, strengthen public awareness, and prioritize safety in infrastructure projects from the start—helping protect those who protect us.”
According to AutoInsurance.com, more than 500 roadside workers have been killed doing their jobs since 2020. The autoinsurance.com report looked at data from OSHA and found that many of those killed were tow truck operators, construction workers and law enforcement officers. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation found that there were more than 1,250 work zone crashes in that state during 2024, resulting in 22 deaths. Other research shows that 45 percent of Pennsylvania work zone crashes that year contained injuries or fatalities.
McCormick and Cortez Mastro’s legislation would require states to improve data collection and analysis of highway worker injuries and fatalities; to create a new public awareness campaign to reflect the dangers roadside workers face, and to require grant applications for major infrastructure projects to include protections expected to aid roadside workers and the driving public.
“Over the past fifty years, America has worked to make roads safer for drivers and pedestrians, but we still have work to do to protect those whose jobs regularly put them on the side of the road,” Cortez Masto said. “First responders and roadside workers risk death or injury every single day while responding to an emergency or maintaining our roads. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort to help keep them safe.”
The legislation is supported by the Towing and Recovery Association of America (TRAA), the Association of General Contractors, the National Safety Council, the American Automobile Association (AAA), the National Association of State EMS Officials, the National Waste and Recycling Association, American Traffic Safety Services, the Major County Sheriffs of America, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Modern Analytics for Roadway Safety (MARS) Coalition.
“Towing and recovery professionals put their lives on the line every day to help motorists, protect first responders, and keep commerce flowing,” TRAA Executive Director Bruce Bender said. “Despite the fact that, on average, statistics show we lose a tower every seven days, the risk to the lives of these dedicated professionals is often overlooked. Slow Down, Move Over laws need to be promoted and publicized because they are proven to save lives.”