MANITOBA PROVINCE ANNOUNCES NEW, IMPROVED PROTECTION NOW IN EFFECT FOR EMERGENCY, ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL

New amendments to the Highway Traffic Act are now in effect to make Manitoba highways a safer workplace for emergency responders and tow-truck operators by expanding and clarifying the precautions motorists must take when passing emergency personnel, Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton announced today. "We want to bring a higher level of safety for first responders and tow-truck operators trying to do their jobs," said Minister Ashton. "The new legislation will help ensure that motorists slow down and proceed with caution before encountering emergency responders." The Respect for the Safety of Emergency and Enforcement Personnel Act, also referred to as Protecting First Responders Act, requires motorists to slow down when passing emergency vehicles, enforcement vehicles, tow trucks and roadside assistance vehicles. Now, drivers travelling on the same side of the road as emergency vehicles that are stopped with their beacons flashing are required to slow down and proceed with caution. Drivers travelling on a multi-lane highway must also pass the emergency vehicle only when safe to do so and, where possible, move to a lane further from emergency vehicles. Effective today, drivers on either side of an undivided highway who pass emergency vehicles that are stopped with their beacons flashing will be required to slow down to the following maximum speeds: * 40 km/hr on highways with posted maximum speed limits below 80 km/hr, and * 60 km/hr on highways with posted maximum speed limits of 80 km/hr or greater. Drivers not following these safety measures may be subject to a fine of $299.65. In May, the province put into effect new rules and speed limits for motorists driving through designated construction zones, regardless of the presence of workers. "We are sending a message to drivers that slowing down when passing roadside workers saves lives and motorists who fail to slow down will be penalized," said Minister Ashton.