New traffic safety laws start Thursday

Two new traffic safety laws will go into effect in Virginia on Thursday.

One will protect tow truck drivers and highway workers, and one will help ensure 16- and 17-year-old passengers buckle up.

During the 2010 legislative session, Virginia lawmakers voted to expand the Commonwealth’s Move Over law to include tow truck drivers and highway workers who are displaying amber-colored flashing lights, according to a AAA-Mid-Atlantic news release.

The new law mandates that motorists who are approaching a tow truck or highway maintenance vehicle displaying amber lights change lanes away from the lights, if possible to do so safely, and/or to proceed cautiously, depending upon the highway conditions.

The previous law included only vehicles displaying red or blue flashing lights.

Tony Hogan, co-owner of J.J. Hogan Towing, wasn’t aware of the upcoming law but think it’s a good idea.

“When people see blue lights, they pull over, but they don’t respect yellow lights as much,” he said. “People can’t always get over, but if there’s the opportunity, they should.”

Hogan said he was almost hit by a driver once on Westover Drive as he was working on the side of the road.

“I had to jump out of the way, but if I hadn’t been at the front of the truck and able to jump in front of it, I would have been hit,” he said.

Nick Sapounakes, owner of Nick’s Towing and Recovery, is also grateful the law has been passed. He has known workers and even state troopers who have gotten hit as they worked an accident.

“There are lots of things now getting drivers’ attention, like cell phones. Drivers come down the highway and don’t always see what’s coming up in an accident,” he said Monday. “I’m very appreciative of what the legislature has done.”

Virginia joins 38 other states that already recognize the dangers faced by these workers and the need to give them added protection while they work, according to the news release. The offense will be punishable as a traffic infraction.

The passage of the new law was hastened by the death of a tow truck driver, Andy Starmer in Newport News in August 2009, according to the release. Starmer was assisting a stranded motorist on I-64 and had pulled onto the right shoulder, was wearing reflective clothing and had his truck’s amber lights flashing when he was struck and killed by a vehicle.

Buckle up, teens

The second new law will require 16- and 17-year-old passengers to wear seat belts when they are riding in the back seat of a vehicle and subject them to primary enforcement for not wearing a seatbelt in any passenger seat. Fifteen-year-olds and younger are already required to be belted in.

Primary enforcement means a police officer can pull over and ticket motorists for failure to comply with the law, while a secondary enforcement law allows police to ticket motorists only for the infraction if they first witness another offense for which they may stop the motorist.

A high school teacher from Herndon suggested the bill because she had known several students who died or were seriously injured because they were passengers in the back seat and were not wearing their seatbelts, according to the news release.

“I’m really glad they are doing this,” said Kathy Wallace of Danville Driving School. “Unfortunately, some people have to be forced to save their own lives. I tell my students that just because they are in the back seat doesn’t mean they are safe.

“They can hit the person in front of them, still go through the windshield or, if they are hit on the side, go sideways and break their neck.”

One of Wallace’s students, Carter Wall, 16, said he thinks the law is a good one.

“I’ve always worn my seatbelt. I’ve been in an accident, and I understand the reward of wearing a seatbelt,” he said.

Jacob Caswell, 16, said he won’t mind telling young passengers in a car he is driving to buckle up.

“It’s a good law because it protects people,” he said. “I’ve always worn a seatbelt.”

AAA supported both bills, according to the release.

“AAA salutes lawmakers for providing protection for not only AAA-affiliated tow truck operators who provide close to 225,000 tows annually, but all the other towing service providers in Virginia,” said Martha Meade, AAA-Mid-Atlantic spokesperson. “AAA also believes that any strengthening of Virginia’s seat belt law will increase the number of lives saved on our roads and highways. Our hope is that teenagers and their parents will embrace the new law as one that could save their lives in the event of a crash.”