CROW AGENCY— A Hardin tow truck operator is urging drivers to follow Montana’s ‘Move Over’ law while passing emergency and road work vehicles parked on the side of the highway.
Jim Belanger at Mac’s Towing and Recovery serves much of Big Horn County. He said many drivers do not take the law seriously.
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“Our lives depend on it. We are in tragic situations many times on these roads,” said Belanger.
The law states interstate drivers passing parked emergency or highway worker vehicles should change to the further lane and slow to 20 miles under the speed limit.
If the driver is unable to change lanes, the law states they should slow down to half the posted speed limit.
“The law is very clear on this, slow down and move over,” said Belanger.
He took MTN with him for a ride-along interview Saturday near Crow Agency on Highway 212.
He said most cars do not slow down and many do not change lanes to pass his tow truck when he parks on the side of the road.
“It's better to slow down for two seconds than not getting to your destination at all,” said Belanger, as he watched cars accelerate past his parked tow truck. “People fly up and down this road (at) 80, 90, 100 miles an hour and don't pay attention.”
Belanger said tow truck operators face the risk of being hit by a car every time they respond to a call.
Two Billings-based tow truck operators, Nick Visser and Casey Allen, were hit and killed by a passing vehicle, while they responded to a call on I-90 near Columbus in October 2020.
Related: Billings tow company holds memorial for two employees on two-year anniversary of deaths
Three other tow truck operators have been killed since. A memorial honoring their sacrifice was constructed in Three Forks in 2025.
“We all have families that we want to go home to,” said Belanger.
AAA found one out of three drivers do not move over or slow down when passing emergency or highway worker vehicles, according to a national 2025 study. The study also found drivers were the least likely to slow down for tow truck operators when compared to other first responders and workers.
