Ottawa tow truck drivers rally in support of new laws

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He’s not out of the woods yet, but Abbas Kadir is starting to breathe on his own again.

Alan Kadir said his dad was left clinging to life after he was struck by a car while responding to a collision on Hwy. 417 in Kanata by the Palladium onramp Wednesday.

“He’s doing good, man. He’s still sedated and they are helping him with fluids, but he’s slowly recovering,” he said. “It was, it was ... bad.”

Abbas — the founder of Jonny’s Towing — was removing a vehicles from the scene of a collision on Hwy. 417 Wednesday when another passing vehicle, driven by a 19-year-old woman, hit the tow-truck operator.

Alan and close to 50 other tow truck drivers from Ottawa and the surrounding area rallied for Abbas Sunday. They got in their rigs and drove down Hwy.y 417 in solidarity, escorted by police, to the Civic hospital to show support for the family and raise awareness for the changes to the “move-over law,” which come into effect Monday.

The Ontario law that requires drivers to slow down and move to the left lane when they see emergency vehicles pulled over on the highway expands to include tow truck drivers.

Alan, who works for his father’s company as a tow truck driver, said it’s about time.

“You don’t see many guys working anymore. Everyone is getting a little bit scared, that’s why we want to see this move-over policy going,” he said.

Cory Lague helped organize Sunday’s rally. He said it could have been him that day instead of Abbas, but he missed his exit when responding to the call.

“It really affected me because this is my job and I just saw someone I respect and work with, left fighting for his life,” he said. “Today, we want to show our respect for anyone in any type of road work area. People drive crazy out there. We just want people to move over because we all have families.”

He said he doesn’t know of a tow truck driver who hasn’t had a close call on the job.

Jeff Garrett, with Sharkey’s Towing, said the tow truck driver community is close, that’s why he wasn’t surprised at the large turnout that included pick-up trucks and 70-ton rotators used in extreme recovery operations.

“I came here to show support and hopefully spread the word,” he said. “And first and foremost, show respect for (Abbas).”

Twitter: @mattdaymedia

• • •

Distracted driving is about to get more expensive as the new distracted driving and dooring penalties coming into effect Sept. 1.

• Distracted Driving: The current fine for distracted driving is $60 - $500. Under the new laws, there will be a set fine of $490 as well as three demerit points and a minimum 30-day suspension for novice drivers.
• "Dooring" of cyclists or vehicles: The current fine for opening a car door just as a cyclist passes by, also known as "dooring," is $60 - $500. Starting next week, there will be a set fine of $365 and three demerit points. In 2011, a cyclist was killed in Ottawa from dooring, while biking along Queen St.
• Passing cyclists: There is currently no penalties for passing cyclists. Under the new laws, drivers must leave a one-metre distance when passing cyclists or face a $110 set fine and two demerit points. In a community safety zone, the set fine is $180 and two demerit points for failing to leave a one-metre distance when passing cyclists.
• Improper lighting on bicycle: Cyclists will face a set fine of $110 for improper lighting on their bicycles under the new laws. The current fine is $20.
• Slow down, move over: Drivers will be required to slow down and move over for a tow truck with flashing amber lights parked at the side of the road to assist a vehicle: This is already the law for emergency vehicles with flashing lights stopped on the road. New penalty: $490 fine

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