Roadside technicians will use new message boards to alert Pennsylvania drivers of emergencies

(WHTM) — AAA Central Penn has a new tool to keep everyone safer during a service call.

Roadside technicians can now use a “safety message light board” during roadside emergencies. Before now, roadside technicians had to rely on cones and flares to warn oncoming drivers to slow down or move over.

Now, the big electronic boards — more visible to drivers — send that message.

“We had a flat tire on a bridge call, and we tried to block off the side of the road with cones, and drivers 65 and 70 mph kinds hard to see, especially when it’s raining,” roadside service technician Carlos Alicea said.

“So even though this move over law is now law in all 50 states, and we’re really excited about that, still 71% of these American drivers are still unaware of this law, so this is a great reminder for folks, please be careful,” AAA Central Penn public relations manager Doni Lee Spiegel said.

According to AAA, 123 people working roadside assistance were killed by passing vehicles between 2015 and 2021.

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