Tow operators press for blue/alternate lights and a working group to boost roadside safety
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Summary
Tow operators, AAA and safety groups urged the committee to authorize more conspicuous lighting and create a study group after near misses and fatalities; insurers recommended including their representatives and pointed to alternative colors (green) used elsewhere.
Tow operators, safety advocates and trade groups told the Public Safety Committee they are routinely exposed to life‑threatening hazards at the roadside and urged lawmakers to create a working group to study improved lighting and other interventions.
Selena Khan, a North Haven tow‑operator and founder of Life on the Line, described multiple near misses — including a recent episode when a passerby ran over part of her ponytail while she was securing a vehicle — and urged lawmakers to allow tow operators to use blue or other conspicuous lights in hazardous locations. Khan said amber lights are routinely ignored by motorists and that neighboring states such as Massachusetts and New York allow alternate lighting for tow operators.
AAA Northeast urged establishing a working group to consider a range of countermeasures — from lighting and signage to enforcement of the slow‑down/move‑over law — and offered research showing many roadside near misses occur in darkness. The National Insurance Crime Bureau recommended that if the committee proceeds, the working group include insurance representatives and consider alternative colors (green has been adopted by some state road agencies) to avoid public confusion with emergency vehicles.
Committee members and panelists emphasized the need for a multi‑stakeholder approach: law enforcement and transportation officials, tow operators, insurers and public‑safety groups should weigh safety, driver comprehension and enforcement implications. Several legislators signaled support for forming a study group and asked the bill authors to include broad stakeholder representation.
