Maryland: After employee's death, Laurel Public Works urges drivers to 'Slow Down to Get Around'
Following the city's first on-the-job death of public works employee Marcus Colbert in January, Laurel Public Works officials are joining staff of the Fairfax County public works department in promoting the nationwide "Slow Down to Get Around" safety campaign for refuse and recycling employees.
Started by the National Waste and Recycling Association in 2013, the safety campaign urges drivers to proceed with caution around stopped waste and recycling collection vehicles and the employees working along roadways.
On Jan. 23, Colbert, a 30-year-old public works employee in Laurel, was killed when a person driving a Lincoln Navigator swerved into the trash truck he was working on after hitting a parked car. Colbert, who had worked with the city since 2003, died at the scene.
Move-over laws for police, fire trucks and ambulances exist in every state and require drivers to change lanes or slow down to 10 to 25 miles per hour, depending on the state. In 2012, state laws were modified to include hazard vehicles, such as tow trucks.
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