Every day, hundreds of emergency responders—firefighters, police, and ambulance and tow-truck drivers—put their lives on the line when they stop on the freeway or alongside the road to help a stranded motorist or someone with a medical emergency.
Too often, these situations end tragically. Responders or the people they’re trying to help are injured or killed—hit by vehicles passing by whose drivers weren’t paying attention and failed to slow down or move into an adjacent lane. In 2019, for example, 44 emergency responders in the U.S.—including 18 law-enforcement officers, 14 tow-truck drivers, and 9 fire/emergency medical service professionals—died after being hit as they were working by the roadside.