On September 9, the Yorkton Rural RCMP detachment is-sued a statement that motorists need to pay more attention to safety when encountering highway workers and emergency vehicles.
Cst. Trent Lafferty said the Yorkton Rural RCMP detachment has received numerous complaints and inquiries regarding the laws that encompass motorists passing tow trucks, highway construction flag persons, highway maintenance equipment or vehicles and emergency vehicles with emergency equipment activated.
The Yorkton Rural RCMP has also received complaints from several rural municipalities in the detachment area about road users passing road grader equipment at high rates of speed. Graders are considered maintenance equipment and drivers must slow to 60 km/hr when passing them while they are conducting maintenance.
The Traffic Safety Act of Saskatchewan states that: “No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than 60 kilometres per hour when passing:
- A highway worker or flag person;
- Any highway equipment occupied by a highway worker, whose presence on the highway is marked in the manner determined in the regulations made by the board; or any highway equipment on a highway that has its ministry-issued warning lights in operation, whether it is in motion or not;
- No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than 60 kilometres per hour when passing an emergency vehicle that is stopped on the highway with its emergency lights in operation; and
- No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than 60 kilometres per hour when passing a tow truck that is stopped on the highway with its amber lights in operation and is providing assistance as a tow truck.
The RCMP asks motorists to slow down and keep workers safe, Lafferty said.
