One of the most overlooked heroes of the road are tow truck drivers. These unsung heroes with so many scenarios and variables that render a vehicle inoperable, will fight heavy traffic, severe weather, and other trials to get to your destination to offer their services. When a vehicle is in a collision, experiencing mechanical failure, or gotten stuck in rough terrain, the tow truck drivers are there. Especially when the bystanders are feeling inconvenienced when they are in action tow truck drivers are not always appreciated, unfortunately. When they are driving behind these rescue vehicles or when the driver is offering assistance or hooking up a down vehicle, tow trucks, especially when towing, are big, slow obstructions in the path of other drivers, but few take account the safety precautions they should be following. To keep you and the tow truck driver safe when you are behind them on the Irving, TX roads, we at Speedway Towing & Roadside Assistance would like to share some safety steps.
Reduce Driving Speed Around Tow Trucks
This step is worth stressing because few do it as it is may seem obvious to reduce your speed. It is essential you slow down, whether the tow driver is in the middle of the road hitching up a vehicle involved in an accident or they are pulled off the side of the road rescuing a down vehicle. Their eyes can’t be everywhere at once and when they are assessing a broken-down vehicle, engaged in roadside assistance, or in the midst of getting the vehicle prepared for the towing journey, slowing down is courteous and increase their safety and yours though the tow truck drivers are trained to be observant for safety.
They do not need the added stress of seeing a driver carelessly speeding down the road, though there are many hazardous elements to the day-to-day workload of a tow truck driver.
During a Tow Hookup, Merge Lanes Away
If it is possible, another obvious assumption, but not always applied is merging to the lane out of their way. Tow truck, the driver, or the owner of the vehicle, reducing your speeds are priority but if traffic permits and there are multiple lanes, merging to the lane away from the incident is advisable to avoid the risk of striking the down vehicle. Especially around the tow truck, and slow down even more so, take extreme care navigating through the traffic should there be option to merge lanes. During the event and it is safe for everyone for drivers to merge into the next lane if there is an opportunity, no one wants to clip the vehicles or even a person.
Stay Focused on Your Surroundings & the Road
To help you respond to surprises and maintaining focus on the road and your surroundings can give you plenty of time to react, you need to stay relaxed. When riding behind a tow truck or when one is doing their work on the road, safe driving techniques should always be applied when operating a vehicle.
Towing & Roadside Assistance in Irving, Fort Worth, Arlington, Carrollton & Plano Texas
For when you need a tow or roadside assistance services in Irving, TX, call in the experts of Speedway Towing & Roadside Assistance and let us assist you!