The RAC, AA and Green Flag have joined forces to request a change in the rules of the road following three deaths of roadside technicians over the past 12 months.

The joint initiative from the UK’s biggest three breakdown companies has seen them co-write a letter to Jesse Norman MP, who is the Government’s Road Safety Minister. They are asking for a ‘slow down, move over’ rule to be implemented whenever motorists see a broken-down car or a recovery vehicle with its flashing amber beacons turned on.

It is not the first time the companies have combined to write a letter asking for a change to the Highway Code, their suggestions were ignored in November last year, but following the recent death of the RAC’s David Stokes, who was killed after being hit by a car while repairing a vehicle in Nottinghamshire, the trio are asking for a rethink.

RAC chief operations officer James Knight said: “Working or breaking down at the side of a busy road or motorway is a nerve-racking experience and one we know carries risks.

“We do everything we can to minimise the dangers and to ensure our patrols put their own safety and that of drivers and passengers first.

“But in light of the recent fatalities, we now urgently need the government to work with us to raise awareness of the issue among drivers and to promote a ‘slow down, move over’ message.

This must be backed by a high-profile publicity campaign and a change to the Highway Code.
“Sadly, we have seen the human cost of such incidents. Earlier this year, we lost one of our patrols while helping a member who had broken down on a dual carriageway. This was a tragic accident and a terrible shock to all of us at the RAC, and we know it has affected colleagues in other organisations as well.”

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