Only days after a drunk driver nearly ran over Grayson County responders while a semi-truck was being pulled from a ditch on Millerstown Road, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is promoting Crash Responder Safety Week.
The initiative, which begins on Monday and runs through Friday, is intended to remind drivers to slow down, move over and stay alert to keep first responders safe.
“First responders put their lives at risk every day to keep Kentuckians safe, which is why we are reminding folks that we can all do our part to protect those who protect us by staying focused, remaining alert, and slowing down or moving over when you see flashing lights on the side of a roadway,” Gov. Andy Beshear said.
Kentucky’s “Slow Down, Move Over” law was expanded in July 2024 (KSR 189.930) to protect not only first responders but anyone in distress on the side of the road.
The updated law requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down when approaching any stationary vehicle displaying flashing lights or warning signals, including emergency vehicles, tow trucks, and any vehicle with hazard lights or warning devices.
Every year, lives are put at risk when drivers fail to slow down or move over for first responders. In Kentucky, over the past three years, crashes involving emergency vehicles in response to an incident resulted in more than 1,000 collisions, over 360 injuries and six deaths, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
In a nearly tragic incident Thursday morning at approximately 12:45 in the 2000 block of Millerstown Road, 48-year-old Christina M. Brakebill, of Eastview, nearly struck Grayson Co. Deputy Caleb Fisher, Grayson Co. Constable/Clarkson firefighter Bill Dalton — who were on-scene providing traffic control while a semi was extracted from a ditch – along with C&L Auto Repair owner and tow truck driver, Lance Vaughn and his son Justin Vaughn.
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By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
