In advance of the Canada Day weekend, one of the busiest travel times of the year, the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) and the Public Service Commission are partnering on a social media campaign to raise awareness of the need to slow down and move over for public service vehicles at the side of the road.
“We are pleased to be working with the commission on this campaign,” said Jason MacLean, NSGEU president. “It means the campaign will be broader, reach more Nova Scotians and visitors and be more effective. This in turn will improve safety for our members who may work on the side of the road.”
The Slow Down, Move Over campaign will focus on some of the less familiar kinds of vehicles people need to move over for and will link to Twitter hashtags, #KeepThemSafe and #SlowDownMoveOver. It also points out that people working at the side of the road may be your neighbour, a member of your family, or a friend.
“We’re happy to partner with the NSGEU to bring attention to an issue that is important to us both – keeping workers safe,” said Public Service Commissioner Laura Lee Langley. “People already know to move over for emergency vehicles, but this campaign serves as a reminder that many people’s work can take them to the side of a busy highway and their lives depend on drivers taking caution.”
The NSGEU and the Public Service Commission have plans to continue this campaign through the summer and will include images of vehicles driven by conservation officers, deputy sheriffs, motor vehicle officers, correctional officers, and wildfire crews to familiarize the public with the look of these vehicles and to also highlight the faces behind the wheels of these vehicles. The campaign will wrap up sometime after the busy Labour Day weekend.
“We are asking the public to drive with awareness and if they see a vehicle with lights at the side of the road, to please slow down and move over. These roads are their workplaces and we all have a responsibility to keep them safe,” said Mr. MacLean.
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Source: Media Release
