Wyoming Highway Patrol Urges Drivers to ‘Protect Those Who Protect You’

November 13–17 is Crash Responder Safety Week and the Wyoming Highway Patrol is urging drivers to "Protect Those Who Protect You" by slowing down and moving over.

"(We work) roadway crashes every day with partners, including firefighters, emergency medical services, law enforcement, towing and recovery, public works, and safety service patrols ... often inches from cars and trucks going by way too fast, sometimes 80 miles per hour or more,” said Lt. Kyle McKay.

"We want drivers in Wyoming to understand the risks that we take every day and the need for every vehicle passing by any traffic incident to slow down, move over, and stay alert," he added.

McKay says the courageous and often underrepresented stories of our local responders underscore the necessity for initiatives like Crash Responder Safety Week.

"The Federal Highway Administration, along with national partners, states, and local responders, are invested in this event to reduce the number of traffic incidents involving responders who suffer injuries or lose their lives in the line of duty," he said.

"Since the start of this year through October, tragically, first responders have been killed, and countless others have endured life-altering injuries," added McKay.

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McKay says not only does the national event promote Move Over law awareness, but it also offers free Traffic Incident Management Responder training for local responders.

He says by the end of the year, 700,000 responders will have been trained through free in-person, online instructor-led, or online self-paced courses.

"We are very proud that we have trained a significant number of crash responders in our state," said Col. Tim Cameron.

"While drivers can make a big difference through their vigilance, training is also a critical part of the effort to save lives, reduce injuries, and decrease traffic incident clearance times," added Cameron.