A campaign is underway to introduce 40km/h speed limits at emergency scenes to protect the safety of emergency service workers.
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The Rural Fire Service Association president Ken Middleton is lobbying the NSW government and said similar steps were taken in Victoria and South Australia.
Canobolas Rural Fire Service zone operations officer Brett Bowden said most drivers already slow down at fire and accident scenes and all drivers should slow down regardless of whether there is a law in place.
“Typically we don’t have too many problems with people speeding but there is the odd occasion,” he said.
“One was a bus on the Mitchell Highway that drove through an accident scene somewhat quickly.
“Another was when we had a truck attending a roadside fire and we had a truck partially on the road.”
Mr Bowden said people drive slower when there’s smoke limiting visibility and when police are present.
However, he said people who slowed down at crashes but took their eyes off the road to look at the emergency scene were putting emergency workers at risk.
Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
