By Abby Berry
When the power goes out, so do the local electric cooperative’s line crews. Lineworkers are the first to respond after an outage occurs and work tirelessly to restore power to the communities we serve.
If you’re traveling and see one of these crews on the side of the road, please move over if possible and give them a little extra space to work. We deeply care about the safety of all and this extra precaution ensures just that.
If you approach a crew while traveling on a two-lane road, moving over to the next lane might not be an option. In this case, simply slow down when approaching roadside crews. If you approach a crew while traveling on a four-lane road, and safety and traffic conditions allow, you must move over into the far lane.
The penalty for not moving over if someone is injured is a Class 1 misdemeanor. If someone is struck and killed, it is a Class 6 felony, as of last September.
Utility crews aren’t the only ones who need the extra space. Follow the same procedures for emergency responders, such as police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians, who often find themselves responding to emergency situations near busy roadways.
There’s plenty of room for all. Let’s work together to keep everyone safe on our local roadways.