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SAFETY WORKERS KEEP ROADS OPEN
VDOT Safety Service Patrols in Fredericksburg area first on the scene to crashes, stranded motorists
Date published: 7/12/2009
By KELLY HANNON Few people meet Eric Johnson while they are having a good day. Drivers encounter Johnson on the day their tire blows out on Interstate 95. It's the day they're stranded on the side of a highway as tractor-trailers pass at 80 mph, rocking their car's frame. It's the day their suitcase flies off the roof rack. Johnson, a safety service patrolman for the Virginia Department of Transportation, sees it differently. Johnson loves his job, even if he's meeting people in stressful circumstances. "Every day is a new day. Every day is different," said Johnson, 26. The patrolman is a member of a six-person crew that loops up and down I-95 in the Fredericksburg area every day, providing free roadside assistance and keeping lanes clear. They are recognizable by their neon-yellow-and-orange uniforms, the traffic cones in the pickup truck bed, and the flashing emergency lights. People are grateful for the help. A VDOT office in Thornburg has a three-ring binder stuffed with thank-you notes from drivers up and down the East Coast. The words "angel" and "godsend" are used repeatedly. There is a letter from state Sen. Charles Colgan, D-Manassas, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who ran out of gas on his way to a meeting in Richmond. A patrol truck gave him enough gas to finish his trip. Johnson said the patrol does quite a bit to boost the state's image. "People always coming through from other states say 'We wish we had this in our state.' And that's why Virginia's special," he said. Virginia is not trying to duplicate AAA. It is trying to keep fender-benders from becoming show-stoppers on Interstate 95. "It only takes one incident to create a lot of traffic delays and backups, the rubberneckers," said Glenn McMillan, VDOT district maintenance engineer for the Fredericksburg area. "If you do a better job of getting to those incidents quicker you stand a better chance of clearing the road." Two safety service patrol trucks run up and down I-95 in Fredericksburg and Stafford and Spotsylvania counties on a circuit from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, with one truck on weekends from noon to 8 p.m.
Date published: 7/12/2009
SAFETY SERVICE
(posted by
bikerva1
, July 13, 2009 7:29 pm)
You can not make comments about safety service patrol members until you put your feet in their boots. I have been in the shoes of safety service for 6.5 years and I would like to let everyone know this is not all fun and games. you have to watch your back all the time as no one else is watching it for you except for the Lord. Mr hamlett does a good job training members of this department to make them as ready as possible. When you see these trucks slow down and give them room to do their job.
g
(posted by
alltalk
, July 12, 2009 1:29 pm)
......
billmoney
(posted by
Jaes
, July 12, 2009 12:20 pm)
analog speedometers are typically off by 3-5 mph at highway speeds, They are designed to err on the side of reading faster than youre actually going.
jumpstarts?
(posted by
Jaes
, July 12, 2009 12:17 pm)
why exactly would one need a jumpstart on a highway?
wideopenspace
(posted by
billmoney
, July 12, 2009 10:57 am)
Hmm,
Then my speedometer must be broken!These trucking jackasses pass my vehicle all the time!The smoke from them ruins my clean windshield plus the rocks they kick up not to mention their constant tail gaiting.Oh, did I mention when they pull out in front of you because they can!I'm sorry wideopen but, you are way off base.
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