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Panel backs allowing tow trucks to use portable variable messaging signs at crash scenes to improve roadside worker safety
Summary
Testimony in support of HB 13-75 said portable variable messaging signs, regulated by MDOT, would improve safety for tow operators and roadside workers; bill would authorize private tow operators to activate stationary signs at crash or disabled-vehicle scenes.
Delegate Stein presented House Bill 13-75 to authorize tow-truck operators to display portable variable messaging signs when stationary at the scene of a crash or disabled vehicle. The bill would require the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) to regulate the signs and require conformance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices adopted by the State Highway Administration.
A testifier representing AAA Mid-Atlantic described national roadside-safety statistics showing a significant risk to roadside workers: between 2015 and 2021, AAA Foundation data cited that hundreds of roadside assistance providers were killed by passing vehicles, with a majority of fatalities occurring where speed limits were 55 miles per hour or higher. The witness said variable messaging signs are already used by state agencies to alert motorists and that extending authority to privately operated tow trucks could reduce roadside worker fatalities.
Committee members clarified the bill does not mandate tow companies to equip their trucks with the devices; rather, it authorizes their use and directs MDOT to set standards. Delegate Stein and witnesses noted MDOT submitted a letter of support with a single requested wording change and encouraged the committee to move the bill forward. The hearing concluded with no recorded vote and city/state technical staff available for follow-up questions.
