Rolled Speed Bumps for On-Scene Safety?

By Randall C. Resch               

Rolled speed bumps for the tow and recovery industry seem like a feasible equipment item to be used by tow operators at tow and recovery scenarios. But not so fast! Internet and product videos are quick to promote “An additional level of on-scene safety,” but don't mention important, behind the scenes considerations to suggest their use (by tow operators) may be illegal and potentially deadly.    

In a five o’clock news segment, one fire fighter commented, “I almost got hit by a vehicle working the truck’s pump handles.” The fire fighter’s comment suggested he was working the white-line side when he was nearly missed. Like fire fighters, some situations require towers to work near white-line traffic dangerously close to harm’s way.   

What’s the Purpose? 

Rolled speed bumps are a “temporary use product” similar to that of stop sticks deployed by law enforcement; application is very much the same. We all know what bad-guy motorists do when spike strips are deployed? They intentionally swerve to avoid running over them.  

Unless your state laws allow tow operators authorization to use rolled speed bumps, like anything else, it’s illegal to place anything in lanes where live traffic is moving at speed. 

A vehicle traveling 45-miles per hour is covering approximately 65-feet per second. That’s “Blink and you’ll miss it” fast. Accordingly, consider that a trophy race truck skips over bumpy roads by simply mashing the accelerator. I personally don’t know too many towers able to jump out of a speeding vehicle’s path. 

Let’s say a vehicle’s driver approaches at speed, sees the strip at the last minute and swerves to avoid striking an object in the roadway. If that vehicle overturns, ejects the motorist and they’re killed, the tower and company will be accountable. 

Don’t be fooled into thinking speed bumps are to be used at highway speeds. One fire captain mentioned that rolled speed bumps are “used to control traffic where flow is diminished to one lane.”   

Per one manufacturer’s website, a disclaimer states: “These units are not meant to be left unattended and are designed to help protect workers and pedestrians in reduced speed areas (15-45 mph). These products were not designed for use on high-speed roadways and are not meant to be deployed on a full-time basis.”  

Immediate Danger 

If the purpose of training acknowledges “lessons learned,” past fatality data identifies what industry hazards get tow operators killed. Dozens of police officers were killed deploying similar products only to be struck as pedestrians as they walked into live-lanes. Tigerford, South Carolina’s Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Russell Ledford, said, “There’s no coming back from a sixty mile-per hour impact.”  

I'm not sure rolled speed bumps are an effective answer especially when bump strips are used only once in a while and not regularly practiced. There’s clear evidence that one (hands-on) fire fighter in the video, couldn’t deploy the bump strip properly. Looking at them from a risk management standpoint, this item creates extremely hazardous conditions which could result in operator fatality.  

On the other hand, cones serve a far higher-level of visual warning and limit towers from walking in live lanes.   

For obvious reasons, I don’t recommend rolled speed bumps necessary or safe for this industry. Leave traffic control up to LE and the fire department.  

Because they’re not suitable to on-highway use, why not focus on quick clear hookup techniques instead necessary to decrease on-scene time? If a flatbed carrier can be loaded in seven to ten minutes, playing dodgeball with speeding cars shouldn’t be part of quick clear strategies.