'Slow down, move over' law gets renewed push on Long Island after deadly crashes

"My daughters lost an uncle, his kids lost a father," said one woman, "all because of one decision that could have been avoided."
Friday, April 28, 2023
GARDEN CITY, Nassau County (WABC) -- With summer around the corner, there's a renewed push for highway safety on Long Island.

AAA joined community members in Garden City to raise awareness of the "Slow down, move over" law.
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It requires drivers to reduce speed and closely watch the road when they see road crews and emergency vehicles.

Earlier this week, a highway worker was killed in Queens when a car slammed into a work zone on the Grand Central Parkway.



Back in October, 47-year-old tow truck driver Carlos Santiago was killed in a chain reaction crash on the Long Island Expressway as he worked on a broken-down vehicle.



His heartbroken family spoke out Friday.
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"My daughters lost an uncle, his kids lost a father," said Santiago's niece, Destiny Feliciano, "all because of one decision that could have been avoided."

She says her uncle noticed there was a drunk driver speeding faster than usual on the highway and his immediate reaction was to push the other man out of the way.

While the number of police officers who are struck seems to be declining nationwide, that is not the case for tow truck drivers and other contractors near the roadway.

AAA says 26 tow truck drivers are killed each year in the United States. In the last 46 days alone, six were killed on the job.

"One death is too many, but if we can cut the total down by expanding the law, that is what we're seeking to do," said Robert Sinclair of AAA Northeast.

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