Roadside assistance workers are being killed more often than crash data shows, study finds
(CBS DETROIT) - A new study from AAA found roadside worker fatalities are much more common than data shows.
The study found roadside assistance workers were struck and killed nearly four times more than reported.
Their researchers determined that 123 roadside assistance providers were killed by passing vehicles between 2015 and 2021, which is higher than the approximately 34 occurrences reported in national crash data.
"The biggest danger now is either cars passing when we work or either somebody hitting a car from behind while we're hooking the hooks up," said tow truck worker Steven Carroll of BLK Knights Towing. "Either they're not seeing us, or they're preoccupied on their phones or in the traffic."
According to AAA, 89% of the crashes occurred at locations with 55 mph or higher speed limits. AAA says more than one-third of striking drivers who were tested for alcohol were alcohol-positive. But nearly half were not tested.
"Interstates are particularly hazardous, as more than half of roadside provider deaths occurred there," said Adrienne Woodland, AAA spokesperson. "The study attributes that to drivers traveling at high speeds while not expecting to encounter pedestrians on freeways. This reinforces the importance that drivers stay focused on the task of driving and be prepared to slow down and move over when approaching workers on the roadside."
Carroll said he wishes drivers would consider roadside assistance workers more.
"Imagine yourself being out there and just the thought of you or your child being struck by a car," he said.