Recovering vehicles from the side of the motorway can be hair raising stuff. Recently the National Recovery Alliance hosted a conferenece with key Network Operators on Auckland's Motorway Network to discuss how we can operate better and keep other motorists safe while doing so.
Every day our men and women risk thier lives on the motorway rescuing stranded motorists. In recent years the risks have increased with more motorists on the road than ever before and a higher number of distracted drivers that we have ever seen on our roads. All you need to do is look around you next time you are stuck in traffic and you will no doubt see more people looking at thier phones than the road in front of them.
Just last week A tow truck driver was lucky enough to escape with his life and only a few broken bones after a truck and trailer slammed into him on a rainy Wisconsin highway.
Note the footage below is from the police patrol car who had postitioned his vehicle behind the schee with red and blue becons on to warn oncoming motorists.
While many of our towing counterparts can be found voicing thier concerns on numerous social media platforms, the National Recovery Alliance decided that it was time to get everyone together and work towards and industry wide solution.
Vehicle Recovery & Incident Response Safe Practice Workshop
Attending the conferenece were both senior management and operational staff from New Zelaand Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, New Zealand Transport Agency, Auckland System Management, Waterview Tunnel Joint Operations, Auckland Transport Operations Centre, as well as members from the National Recovery Alliance and other vehicle recovery operators from around the country.
Having all of these agencies together in the same room, tackling the same scenarios from different perspectives, helped us, not only gain a better insight into how each of the parties view thier role. But also gives us all an appreciation for how we can work collaboratively and help one another so we all get home safely.
Futher collaborative work is scheduled between key industry and government stakeholders and will result in the publication of a safe motorway recovery handbook and training material in the coming months.
A huge thank you to all those involved for your paticipation and contribution to making sure incident responders and vehicle recovery operators get home safely to thier families.
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