RAA Patrols Gary Dewing and Adam Strugala.
Slow down and save lives
Have you ever sat in your car on the side of the road, with cars whizzing by at 80km/h? Your car shudders and there’s an almighty whoosh every time another vehicle passes. Roadside workers are exposed to this every day, but they don’t have a car for protection. Here are their stories.
Words: Jeremy Rochow
“At the end of the day, we want to get home safely to our families,” says RAA Patrol Adam Strugala when I ask why motorists need to slow down while passing people working on the roadside.
I’m speaking to Adam as well as fellow RAA Patrol Gary Dewing about their experiences working on the roadside following changes to the speed limit around roadside assistance and breakdown vehicles.
The new law, introduced in May, means drivers need to slow down to 25km/h when passing vehicles such as RAA patrol vans and RAA tow trucks that have their amber lights flashing.
RAA Road Service recorded 23 reportable safety incidents or near misses between 2019 and February 2025 involving vehicles failing to slow down near breakdowns.
Adam says he has experienced some nervous moments while helping RAA members on the roadside prior to the recent speed-limit change.
“When you’re helping someone on a high-speed road or a road where there’s a lot of traffic, you feel a bit on edge,” he says.
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Dublin CFS Brigade Captain Rosemary McDonnell.
THEY SAVE US, LET’S PROTECT THEM
Surely motorists wouldn’t film or take photos while they drive past an emergency incident, would they? Turns out some drivers do the unthinkable.
This is just some of the behaviour Dublin CFS Brigade Captain Rosemary McDonnell (pictured below) has witnessed while attending road crashes just north of Adelaide.
Rosemary, who’s been a part of the CFS for about 20 years, says inattentive driving is just one of the dangers her brigade encounters when attending an emergency roadside incident.
“Many inattentive drivers don’t slow down enough, or even notice us, and come very close to the cones we set up to keep us safe,” Rosemary says.
“And you do feel them [motorists] when they’re going too fast, because they’re quite close. That’s why the 25km/h speed limit is so important.”
Motorists must slow down to 25km/h in an emergency service speed zone, which applies when an emergency service vehicle – such as an ambulance, CFS or MFS truck or police car – has stopped on the road and has flashing blue and red lights.
The 25km/h zone also applies between two sets of flashing blue or red lights placed at either end of a section of road where an emergency vehicle has stopped.
Rosemary says the CFS sets up cones at a distance to give motorists plenty of warning they’re approaching an emergency incident.
“We put a truck in a position that can protect us as well and then cones are placed well past the incident so vehicles won’t veer in close to us while we work,” she says.
Visibility can be a problem for the CFS, but not when you’d usually think.
“Surprisingly during the day, the [blue and red] lights aren’t as bright, but at night you can’t miss them,” Rosemary says.
“During the day, we do find people that either aren’t concentrating or don’t see us on the bends. That’s why we try to set up a big enough space so that there’s a long lead up to where the truck sits.”
So, what does Rosemary want to see motorists do when they’re passing emergency service vehicles attending the scene of a crash?
“Be vigilant while you drive, concentrate on what you’re doing and follow emergency workers’ directions,” she says.
“We’re only able to stay safe and go back to our families at the end of an incident if motorists follow the rules and try and make us feel a bit safer.”
Nova Traffic Management Traffic Controller Melanie Schwarz.
BEHIND THE CONES: REAL PEOPLE AT RISK
You might think slowing down to a snail’s pace for roadworks is annoying, but when you put your foot on the brake, you’re keeping workers safe while they do their job.
Nova Traffic Management Traffic Controller Melanie Schwarz says it’s as easy as being courteous and slowing down.
“Don’t treat traffic controllers like they’re an inconvenience, and don’t move our signs or cones, please,” Melanie says.
“Keep in mind that we’re doing our job too and we’re helping keep [road] workers safe while they do their job.”
If any roadworks are being undertaken within 1.2m of traffic, motorists need to reduce their speed to 25km/h to protect roadworkers. In most other instances, the speed limit is 40km/h near roadworks.
“Ninety per cent of motorists do the right thing but people take it a bit personally, like we’re out to get them,” Melanie says.
“Not following the speed limit is common, but depending on some roads, people will ignore the signs – or even move them – and just drive through the roadworks.
“We have the road closed for a reason. There might be trucks everywhere, people may be concreting and there could be tools and machinery on the road.”
To ensure the safety of people undertaking roadworks, follow a few easy steps.
• Follow roadworkers’ instructions.
• Follow the directions of the traffic controller if one is present.
• Watch for vehicles and workers entering or leaving the area.
• Look out for roadworkers.
• Be ready to slow down or even come to a complete stop.
• Keep a safe distance from vehicles, barriers, equipment and roadworkers.
Surprisingly, Melanie also has a message for pedestrians when they’re approaching roadworks.
“Distracted pedestrians using their phones will walk along a closed footpath without noticing the signs,” she says. “Please don’t walk through a work zone because you don’t think there’s anything there – we’re trying to keep everyone safe.”
A FINAL MESSAGE
RAA Senior Manager of Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain says the 25km/h speed limit ensures roadside workers can carry out their work in a safe environment.
“Scan the road ahead while you’re driving, and if you see flashing lights – whether they’re red and blue or yellow – gradually reduce your speed and avoid last-minute heavy braking,” he says.
“By slowing down, you’re protecting those people who are helping others or completing vital work to our infrastructure.
“No one chooses where they breakdown or where they have a crash, and RAA Patrols or emergency services are helping them in their time of need, mere metres from the road.”
So, whether they’re changing a tyre or helping someone in distress, SA’s roadside workers need us to slow down to ensure their safety, and the safety of the people they’re helping.
Adam’s final message to motorists on the road: “Look past your bonnet at the road ahead, and if you see flashing lights, just slow down.”
IMAGES: RAA/Mike Lockheart, Sasha Oelsner.
