Tow trucks not supposed to drive on H-1 shoulder

By June Watanabe

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Oct 22, 2012

~~<p>Question: I was heading eastbound on the freeway from Kapolei to Pearlridge at about 3:45 p.m. recently when a tow truck came flying past me in the right shoulder lane. He was going at least 65 mph and close enough to cause my vehicle to shake. He cut back into traffic to take the Waimalu exit, then suddenly jerked into the left lane to head toward Pearl City instead. He was not towing a vehicle. This idiot driver just used the shoulder to get ahead of traffic, which was not bad. It’s obvious that if there had been an accident and traffic was wall to wall, a tow truck would have to use the shoulder lane to get to the scene. But there was no accident in this area. What situation would require a tow truck to be in such a hurry that he/she would feel they had to utilize the shoulder lane?</p>
<p> Answer: A tow truck should not be driven in the manner you described, said Maj. Kurt Kendro, commander of the Honolulu Police Department’s Traffic Division. “Drivers should call 911 right away when they see a vehicle operated in such a hazardous manner,” he said, adding that HPD has issued citations to tow truck drivers for this.</p>
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Question: I was heading eastbound on the freeway from Kapolei to Pearlridge at about 3:45 p.m. recently when a tow truck came flying past me in the right shoulder lane. He was going at least 65 mph and close enough to cause my vehicle to shake. He cut back into traffic to take the Waimalu exit, then suddenly jerked into the left lane to head toward Pearl City instead. He was not towing a vehicle. This idiot driver just used the shoulder to get ahead of traffic, which was not bad. It’s obvious that if there had been an accident and traffic was wall to wall, a tow truck would have to use the shoulder lane to get to the scene. But there was no accident in this area. What situation would require a tow truck to be in such a hurry that he/she would feel they had to utilize the shoulder lane?

Answer: A tow truck should not be driven in the manner you described, said Maj. Kurt Kendro, commander of the Honolulu Police Department’s Traffic Division. “Drivers should call 911 right away when they see a vehicle operated in such a hazardous manner,” he said, adding that HPD has issued citations to tow truck drivers for this. Login for more...