Bill would require drivers to slow down while passing garbage trucks
A bill making its way through the State House promises to create new safety measures for sanitation workers who haul away garbage and recyclables from residential neighborhoods.
Rep. James Arciero, a Westford Democrat, filed the bill known as an Act relative to speed limitations near waste or recycling collection vehicles. If passed, it would create a 15 mile per hour speed limit for any vehicle that seeks to pass a garbage or recycling truck when it is stopped along its route.
“While we may not think about it, those individuals engaged in this industry are continually at risk of being hit, both in their vehicles and when disembarking and returning to their trucks as they collect our trash,’’ said Arciero in testimony before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, according to a press release from his office.
Violators could face either a $500 fine or up to a year in jail. A second violation, or an incident that results in a serious injury, could result in a $1,000 fine, a six-month suspension of a driver’s license and up to 2.5 years behind bars.
The requirements would be mostly focused on residential neighborhoods and would offer exemptions for private roads, highways and roadways with multiple lanes.
Arciero pointed out that motorists are required to pull over for police, fire and other emergency vehicles and must slow down at construction sites. He wants to extend the benefit to those who work in sanitation.
“I think that waste management and recycling trucks, with their frequent stops and personnel exiting and entering the vehicle, are worthy of similar consideration by our driving public,’’ said Arciero in a statement.
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