TAMPA, Fla. — New technology to prevent roadside worker deaths is being rolled out in Florida before a busy holiday season.
On Tuesday, AAA announced that it can now send alerts to drivers using GPS apps, such as Waze and Google Maps, when a company roadside worker is assisting someone on a busy highway or interstate.
Officials say this new resource will caution drivers to slow down when they receive a notification of a roadside member working.
The app will notify when there is an AAA member or service technician on the road by using software that sends emergency roadside calls directly into GPS apps.
"We're hopeful that this will help to notify drivers to give them that alert so they can take action, slow down, move over and save lives," Mark Jenkins, a AAA spokesperson said at a news briefing.
Jenkins says around 350 people are killed every year due to roadside incidents, with two tow operators killed every month. He believes the main causes of these incidents include poor visibility and distracted driving.
"Many, if not all of these crashes, could be preventable if drivers just pay attention, they slow down and move over and give people on roadside extra space," he said.
During the briefing, AAA Service Technician Theo Whitehead spoke on the fears he sometimes faces while on the job. He worries an accident could happen at any time.
"I like my job, but it is dangerous," he said. "You just want to make it back the same way you came and take care of the member, and yourself as well."
Every year, AAA says it responds to over 30 million calls for roadside assistance across the country, equating to one call every two seconds.
During the final two weeks of the year, AAA expects to receive more than 860,000 calls nationwide for roadside assistance. More than 107 million Americans are expected to take holiday road trips this year.
“Far too many deaths occur because drivers are either not paying attention or do not realize they’re approaching someone on the roadside,” Scott VerBracken, Vice President of Automotive Services for AAA – The Auto Club Group said in a statement. “We are excited about this technological advancement and believe it will give drivers the warning they need to move over and save the lives of our members and employees.”
AAA says the new GPS software is only being used in Florida and 13 other states.
