When Visibility Is the Difference.

A firsthand account of roadside response—and the visibility risks most drivers never consider.

Standing in the road at a car accident, trying to direct traffic on a busy four-lane road, is a very weird feeling. Even with a fire truck and cones at my back and side, the 40-mph speed limit takes on an entirely new meaning. Why? Because a hundred or so feet behind me, someone is having a bad day—and people I know and care about are trying to make that day a little less terrible.

Despite the cones, fire truck, flashing lights, turnout gear, and flashlight, there is no ideal way to stand in an active roadway. From a driver’s perspective, I get it—you didn’t expect to roll up on this accident when coming home late from work at 9:30 p.m. Seeing someone in the road is a surprise, and a sudden traffic pattern change is an unwelcome addition to an already stressful day. Still, there’s someone behind me who needs help, and people I care about are trying to reach them.

Ideally, I’ll greet you with a smile after urging you to slow down and directing you where to go. That happens about seventy percent of the time.

The other thirty percent of the time, a driver is forced into an emergency stop, nearly misses me, and at times comes uncomfortably close to one of the fire truck’s rear compartments. I’ll politely explain what’s happening, then radio back to my chain of command with anything important they need to know—buses, trucks, traffic issues—but that doesn’t solve the immediate problem.

In the first 14 days of 2020, seven roadway responders were struck and killed by vehicles while assisting the public.