A Warrnambool CFA officer has thrown his support behind a road change where drivers slow to 40km/h when passing emergency vehicles.
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Warrnambool CFA senior station officer David Ferguson said local firefighters and emergency services workers would welcome the change as it would improve their safety on the roads.
The new laws require all motorists to slow to 40km/h when passing stationary or slow-moving emergency vehicles operating lights or sirens, or risk a $277 fine.
The changes, which come into effect on July 1, were introduced to reduce the number of deaths and injuries among roadside emergency workers.
The rule will apply to police, ambulance, fire, SES, and VicRoads vehicles on all types of roads, including all lanes on freeways.
“The reason emergency services are present is because of an accident or incident,” Mr Ferguson said. “We do not want another one to deal with involving ourselves.”
He said under the new rule 40km/h was the maximum speed a vehicle could travel when passing and motorists should drive to the conditions.
“Many circumstances will dictate that they drive slower such as rain, reduced road width, or emergency services vehicles moving about. Remember too that to a stationary person 40 km/h is pretty fast.”
Mr Ferguson said driver distraction when passing accidents caused “many issues” and had the potential to cause accidents or further harm.
Acting assistant commissioner of road policing Deb Robertson said pulling a driver over is one of the most dangerous jobs for police.
"We've lost 28 police in the course of history from roadside intercepts; the last one was in 2005," she said.
Ms Robertson said the rule was an extension of the existing requirement that drivers give way when an emergency vehicle is driving with its lights and sirens on.
Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said there would be an extensive ad campaign to inform road users of the change.
The minister cited a survey in which one in five emergency workers had experienced a near miss while stopped on the roadside.
The RACV called for an urgent review of the new policy on Tuesday after concerns about the practicality of slowing down from speeds of up to 110km/h on country roads and freeways.
