The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is urgently calling on drivers to exercise caution after a series of close calls involving their workers, with the latest incident captured on a HELP truck's dash camera in Knoxville. According to WBIR, a TDOT worker narrowly escaped injury on August 2 on Interstate 640 when a car veered out of control, nearly hitting him as he removed debris from the roadway.
As reported by WATE, the vehicle can be seen swerving into the left lane, striking a wire barrier, and finally coming to a halt in the median. Post the scare, the worker was able to quickly clear the road and then proceed to aid the driver, who was later hospitalized and is expected to recover.
The recent event is part of a disturbing trend in Tennessee. "We are seeing an alarming increase of unsafe and distracted drivers across Tennessee," TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley stated in comments obtained by WVLT. Such incidents have spiked this year, hitting a concerning count of 73 times that motorists have struck TDOT workers and equipment.
Commissioner Eley is urging motorists to actively follow the law and to put down their phones. He also emphasized the legal requirement for drivers to move over and slow down when encountering emergency and roadside workers. "Motorists need to follow the law and put down their phones as well as move over and slow down when emergency and roadside workers are present," Eley conveyed, as per WVLT.
