Photo: Emergency vehicles for SDMO
By: Carol Baldwin,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
Saskatchewan’s CAA Slow Down Move Over Day takes place on October 17, 2026. This North American-wide safety awareness day recognizes the people who work along the roads and highways, often just metres from passing traffic. Tow truck operators, emergency responders, law enforcement officers, construction workers, and other roadside professionals face serious risks every time they stop to help a driver, respond to an emergency, or complete essential work.
As a driver, using the road is a tool to get somewhere, but for first responders, police officers, firefighters, paramedics and tow truck drivers, the road is their workplace. Drivers play an important role in keeping them safe. In Saskatchewan, when approaching an emergency or service vehicle with flashing lights, drivers must slow to 60 km/h as they pass.
Pay attention, check your mirrors, signal early, and, when it is safe, move over to create more space between your vehicle and the people working nearby. If you cannot change lanes safely, reduce your speed, remain alert, and give the roadside scene as much room as possible.
Slowing down and moving over may seem like small actions, but they can make a life-saving difference for someone standing at the roadside. On October 17, and every day, CAA asks members to help share this important reminder with family and friends: pay attention, slow to 60 km/h, and move over if it is safe.
“The more drivers who know what to do when they see flashing lights, the safer Saskatchewan roads can be for everyone,” reads a CAA Saskatchewan release. CAA and other safety stakeholders advocated for tow trucks to display blue lights along with amber lights while assisting motorists. In April 2017, Saskatchewan became the first province to permit this added safety measure.
Across North America, nearly 100 tow truck drivers are killed every year after being struck by oncoming traffic while helping stranded motorists with flat tires, breakdowns and collisions. CAA urges motorists to make space for tow trucks working on the side of the road.
“Every day, we face real danger while helping motorists on Saskatchewan roads,” said CAA tow truck operator Kurt Elmer. “We want to do our jobs safely and make it home to our families.”
“Too many close calls happen because drivers are not paying attention,” added CAA tow truck operator Stephen Romans. “When you see us working at the roadside, slowing down and moving over can be a matter of life and death.”
CAA developed a campaign to address research showing that, while motorists said they slow down and move over 92 percent of the time for emergency vehicles, they do so only 49 percent of the time for tow trucks. Developed and executed by the Deloitte Isaac creative consultancy, “Slow Down, Move Over” captures a dangerous near miss common to those working as tow-truck operators, emergency responders and roadside workers. The 30-second spot dramatizes the split-second decisions drivers need to make when approaching a tow truck that is assisting a stranded motorist. The PSA launched in July across TV, cinema, Spotify and OOH in Ontario and Manitoba and will be marketed through the end of the year.
“The campaign captures a single frozen moment before the consequences of a driver’s decision are realized, illustrating how quickly lives can change and reminding motorists that one decision behind the wheel can make all the difference,” CAA Club Group’s Chief Marketing Officer Shoshana Fruitman says.