The rescue and recovery sector’s call for safer working conditions after three fatalities in close succession has been given a boost after several MPs threw their weight behind the Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery.
Nine MPs, including former roads minister Sir Mike Penning, have united to create an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Roadside Rescue and Recovery, with the inaugural meeting set for 20 November.
Meanwhile, Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford, raised awareness of the campaign during a parliamentary debate on roadside safety last week. Addressing parliament, Crouch highlighted the campaign’s main aims: a call for recovery vehicles to be fitted with red warning lights (like other emergency services) instead of amber lights; the DfT to collect data on the number of casualties involving recovery workers, as there is no specific record; and to get the Slow Down, Move Over ethos incorporated into the highway code.
Campaign mastermind and FairFuelUK co-founder Peter Carroll said: “It’s fabulous to have the support of such a prominently capable politician; and when allied to the support of Sir Mike Penning and the other MPs who have come forwards to join the APPG, I feel the industry is on the cusp of finally having a really meaningful voice in parliament.”
By Laura Hailstone
