BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Aug. 7, 2019 - First-Responders operate in the most dangerous of workplaces often inches away from traffic with no room for error. Law enforcement officers, firefighters, rescue, emergency medical, and towing & recovery workers often have less than 3 feet to work around and in some cases it is impossible to stay inside the white line.
Darian Weaver, Owner & Publisher of Tow Professional magazine and the Southern Tow Expo and his wife Holly Weaver, were both instrumental in Gov. Ivey's proclamation making August Slow Down, Move Over Awareness Month in Alabama and a big motivator was seeing the names and families affected by roadside accidents each year at the Wall of The Fallen ceremony at Chattanooga's International Museum of Towing & Recovery. Tow Professional magazine also memorializes these towers on the cover of their annual Wall of The Fallen issue.
Currently, we lose a tower every 6 days, this is a rate much higher than any other 1st responder! We have to start awareness early to help end these senseless deaths! Education should start in the schools' Driver's Ed programs on the "Slow Down, Move Over Laws." Darian Weaver states.
Of the roadside accidents and deaths that occur annually towing and recovery workers are 3 times more likely to be the victim due to their time on scene and their lack of red or blue lights.
Secretary Hal Taylor, of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which includes the Department of Public Safety and whose Alabama State Troopers respond to thousands of roadside events annually, also expressed their support of the Weaver's and Gov. Ivey's efforts "The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency fully supports Governor Kay Ivey's decision to proclaim this Slow Down Move Over Month," says Secretary Hal Taylor. "We cannot stress enough the importance of Alabama's 'move over law' to ensure the safety of troopers and other first responders who must work in close proximity to traffic to perform their jobs. We applaud such efforts to raise awareness and to provide first responders with the clearance they need to work safely."
The Southern Tow Expo TIMS Event, a live reenactment of a traffic incident. The event is produced in tandem with the Orange Beach Alabama Police Department and the Orange Beach Fire Department on August 9th at 8:15 pm. wrapping up the first night of the trade show.
2019 Southern Tow Expo
Held on August 9th & August 10th. Orange Beach Event Center, Orange Beach, Alabama. For more on the show, go to www.Southertowexpo.com

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Butch Cole, Director of Business Development