Bill targets drivers who fail to slow down for emergency workers
EDMONTON, Alta. — A proposed Bill would see heavy fines handed out to drivers in Alberta who fail to slow down when emergency vehicles are parked alongside the road with their lights flashing.
Calgary North Hill MLA Richard Magnus pitched private member’s Bill 207 which is up for discussion in the provincial legislature this spring. It calls upon drivers to reduce their speed to half the posted limit when encountering emergency vehicles on the side of the road with their lights on.
“I have a fondness in my heart for these folks who risk their own lives to keep us safe,” Magnus told local media yesterday. “We have to do everything we can to make them safe…When Albertans see red, they need to get off the lead.”
The proposed legislation has the support of emergency workers. Over the past 13 years, 33 emergency personnel have been injured while working on the side of the road. And two RCMP officers have been fatally injured by passing vehicles.
Fines will be steep for drivers who fail to slow down it’s proposed that first time offenders would be charged between $400 and $2,000.
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