The Victorian Government has announced an expansion of a road rule to better protect roadside workers and emergency services personnel, whether responding to an accident, a vehicle breakdown, or a life-threatening situation.
Road Rule 79A was first introduced in 2017 and requires drivers and riders to:
- slow to 40km/h when passing stationary emergency or enforcement vehicles with flashing red, blue, magenta, or yellow lights;
- approach stationary emergency services or enforcement vehicles at a speed that will allow them to stop safely if required and not increase their speed until a safe distance from the scene.
From July 1, Road Rule 79A (RR79A) will be extended to include accident towing, breakdown towing, roadside assistance, and all incident response service vehicles. Currently, RR79A only applies to police vehicles, emergency vehicles, enforcement vehicles, and VicRoads Incident Response Service vehicles.
These changes come following a review into the road rule which considered the scope of the rule, compliance rates, penalties, and safety benefits, said Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne.
The review found that there was a strong case for expanding the scope of vehicles covered by RR79A to increase safety for those who respond to road accidents, and the experiences of people in the industry.
“Incident response, roadside assistance and breakdown towing vehicles are there for us when we are in need – this change acknowledges the risks they take and our commitment to keeping them safe,” said Minister Horne.
“It is the responsibility of all drivers to familiarise themselves with this road rule and to always slow to 40km/h past responding vehicles – for the safety of workers and all road users.”
The colour of the flashing lights included in the road rule will not change.
For more information about Road Rule 79A please visit transport.vic.gov.au.
