When snow and ice are cleared from the roads, drivers should expect to see maintenance crews at work on Missouri’s highways, often in slow-moving operations. The Missouri Department of Transportation says in 2020, their truck/trailer-mounted attenuators (TMAs) were struck a record-setting 48 times, compared to 36 in 2019. Many of these crashes were the result of drivers not paying attention and/or speeding.
These protective vehicles serve as a warning to traffic that is approaching a temporary mobile work zone and are the only thing separating workers making road repairs and the traveling public.
MoDOT’s chief safety and operations officer Becky Allmeroth says “These trucks are designed to get your attention and warn you about the work zone ahead with flashing lights and arrow boards. But we still rely on you to focus and make the decision to slow down and move over, for your safety and ours.”
Missouri’s Move Over law requires drivers to either change lanes or slow down when approaching MoDOT, law enforcement, or other emergency vehicles with flashing lights.
