The Victorian Government has announced that it will expand Road Rule 79A, which outlines requirements for motorists when travelling within the vicinity of roadside workers and incidents across the state.
Road Rule 79A ((RR79A) was first introduced in 2017. This rule firstly requires motorists and riders to slow to 40 kilometres per hour when passing stationary emergency or enforcement vehicles with flashing red, blue, magenta, or yellow lights.
It also sets a requirement for motorists to approach stationary emergency services or enforcement vehicles at a speed that will allow them to stop safely if required and not increase their speed until a safe distance from the scene.
From July 1, (RR79A) will be extended to include accident towing, breakdown towing, roadside assistance, and all incident response service vehicles.
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Currently, RR79A only applies to police vehicles, emergency vehicles, enforcement vehicles, and VicRoads Incident Response Service vehicles.
These changes come following a review into the road rule which considered the scope of the rule, compliance rates, penalties, and safety benefits.
The review found that there was a strong case for expanding the scope of vehicles covered by RR79A to increase safety for those who respond to road accidents, and the experiences of people in the industry.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne said the change will help to increase the safety of workers and all road users.
“Incident response, roadside assistance and breakdown towing vehicles are there for us when we are in need – this change acknowledges the risks they take and our commitment to keeping them safe,” Horne said.
To learn more about RR79A, click here.
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