This guy is lucky to be alive...

The video shows the perils of being an RAC (I guess that's AAA in the US) roadside assist mechanic. You can just see him top left of the video....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-31022912

Horrible! Just doing his job and a stupid driver wrecked his day, maybe his life. Loss of driving privileges just doesn't seem to be enough. You never know do you. PJ

I've been watching a Discovery Canada show last couple of years, "Highway Through ****", about the towing industry - in their case focusing mostly on big rig towing, but it has shown the reality of the danger these guys face...

Here in Alberta there is a rule that whenever you see a first responder with light flashing on the side of the road (tow truck, police, fire, etc...), if you are in the lane immediately adjacent to them you are required to drive half the speed limit, if you drive two lanes over you can drive at the posted speed limit...

I know when I drive on a divided highway and see someone pulled over on the shoulder, if I can I will switch over one lane to give the car extra room... On a single lane highway, I'll just simply give lots of space as I pass by if it's possible given oncoming traffic...

"if you drive two lanes over you can drive at the posted speed limit..."

You guys can drive in the opposite lanes shoulder up there?

waltesefalcon said:

"if you drive two lanes over you can drive at the posted speed limit..."

You guys can drive in the opposite lanes shoulder up there?

Click to expand...

On a divided highway with multiple lanes each way (ie. what you call an Interstate highway), maybe you've never heard of the term divided highway? :friendly_wink:

Actually, the only four lane we have around here is I44. We ain't got nun of them big roads round here. We lucky if'n they gots gravel.

This is even worse, the mechanic was in a pull out meant for breakdowns with the road shoulder denoted by the solid white line; so the truck that hit him had already come off the road properly to drive on the shoulder and then pulled yet further over off the road.

The driver got 8 moths jail and 2 years loss of driving.

Now HERE is a lucky guy (the taxi driver): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...twheels-into-river-frantic-rescue-saves-some/