Along Highway 363 south of Moose Jaw, the provincial government announced a new automatic flagging assistance device pilot project. 

The devices, which are made by Guardian Angel Auto Flaggers in Watrous, are designed to keep flag people on construction sites safe by keeping them off of the road. 

“By 2030, we wanted to improve another 10,000 kilometers of highways. With those improvements, we have to have construction. We have to have flaggers out there working on our highways,” said Minister of Highways Fred Bradshaw. 

The pilot project will consist of three automatic flagging devices that will be used by crews in Moose Jaw, Outlook and Prince Albert areas. 

The project is expected to cost about $22,000 including about $500 per Guadian Angel unit. 

Guardian Angel Auto Flaggers were designed by Kim and Donna Kreutzer after 18-year-old flagger Ashley Richards was killed near Midale in 2015 after being struck by a vehicle. 

“They say it's the most dangerous position on highways and who do we put in that position? Young kids out of high school, their first jobs with the least training. So, primarily it is to make people safe. We want everybody to go home at night,” said Guardian Angel marketing and sales rep Edward Anderson. 

The device weighs about 90 lbs. and can be easily transports from construction site to construction site. 

“The secret to our machine, compared to the other ones that are out there, it is mounted onto a truck or any receiver hitch and plugs into the trailer plug,” Anderson explained.  

“It can be set up off the road or approach, anywhere safe. It can be set up in about two minutes and the operator never has to be on the highway or in harm's way.” 

Once attached to the vehicle, an arm and lights can be controlled remotely from a safe location. 

Anderson added that the Guardian Angel devices have already been used by private-sector businesses. 

“On top of the highway construction industry, which is what it was primarily designed for, we actually have some with Brad's Towing in Saskatoon, and they're using it when they're doing a merge and they absolutely love it. Just a little side note, on average in North America, a tow truck driver is killed every nine days,” he said. 

The first Guardian Angel devices were used by United Paving in Swift Current. 

The pilot program will look at the number of near misses, miscommunications and feedback from flag people, with the province’s hope to have the automatic flagging devices more widely used. 

Below Anderson demonstrates how the Guardian Angel Auto Flagger works: