Every six days, a tow truck operator, emergency medical technician, police officer, firefighter or DOT worker is killed in a roadside traffic accident in the United States, leading to “Move Over laws” in all 50 states. A shocking number of American drivers are unaware that it is a law to change lanes and/or slow down when they are passing a roadside issue, be it a disabled vehicle or a traffic stop, leading to the high number of accidents involving roadside first responders – most of which could have been avoided by motorists just giving more space to roadside incidents. In fact, while I was working on this piece, a local state police officer lost his life during a traffic stop when a passing vehicle struck his cruiser.
Pete Lanciano has spent the last 13 years working as a tow truck operator and he currently manages a towing company out of Lebanon, Maine. After attending funerals of other tow truck operators who had been killed while working roadside, having a few close calls of his own and reading about countless incidents where roadside first responders lost their lives due to drivers not abiding by the Move Over law, he decided to combine his hobby in the automotive world with his work – promoting the law and spreading the message of giving space to roadside emergency workers. The result is a great-looking custom Dodge Charger R/T that pays homage to many first responders who senselessly lost their lives in the line of duty.
When Lanciano first began customizing his 2021 Dodge Charger R/T in an effort to both promote Move Over laws and to pay tribute to those first responders who have lost their lives to roadside accidents, he added twin bright yellow stripes that run from front to rear across the top of the vehicle. Within those stripes were the names of 30 fallen first responders and those special stripes were joined by a Scat Pack grille with yellow accents, SRT® Hellcat-style 5-spoke wheels, yellow powder coated Brembo brake calipers, a carbon fiber rear diffuser and unique fender badges that display the name of his car – Dahlia.
That design allowed Lanciano’s Charger R/T to get some attention at car shows, but when he switched to the modern look, he stepped the appearance of this car up to the next level. As you can see in the images here, the twin stripes are gone and in their place is an elaborate full vehicle wrap that creates a dynamic appearance that differs from side to side.
On the driver’s side, Pete Lanciano’s 2021 Dodge Charger R/T is wrapped mostly in black and grey, with a depiction of the American flag showcasing a yellow stripe through the middle and a trio of tow chains spread along the side of the car. In the same way that an American flag with a blue stripe is designed to pay tribute specifically to police officers, the yellow stripe design is a tribute to roadside first responders. On the passenger’s side, Lanciano’s Charger R/T is finished entirely in bright yellow and completely covered with the names and roles of fallen first responders, serving as a staggering reminder of how many roadside first responders lose their lives each year.
IMG004
Finally, the trunk lid of this unique Dodge Charger R/T reads “In memory of all who have lost their lives in the line of duty” in the area where the livery transitions from black to yellow. In addition to the stunning wrap, Lanciano’s Charger R/T has a cold air intake, a catch can, an aftermarket exhaust system and it is lowered with BC Racing coilovers. It also has the aforementioned SRT Hellcat-style wheels, bright yellow calipers, the Scat Pack grille and the carbon fiber rear diffuser.
Pete Lanciano explains that he drives his Dodge Charger R/T daily during Maine’s warmer months and he has traveled all over the east coast for car shows – including the Mopar® Nationals in Pennsylvania and an annual event in North Carolina, which is hosted by the mother of a fallen tow operator. This Charger has even been featured by the New Hampshire state police in a video promoting their Slow Down/Move Over safety campaign. Lanciano also puts out that “burnouts are his thing (when safe to do so)”, and he likes to draw extra attention to his message by creating clouds of tire smoke at events that allow it.
“I’d like to thank Nici Automotive, Spec Powder Coating, Eddie B Towing and Recovery, and also a huge shoutout to Motoring Images for the design and install of both the current wrap, and initial version with stripes. Also all my friends and family for always supporting me,” said Lanciano. “Next time you are driving and you see someone on the side of a highway, back road, city street, try to put themselves in that person’s shoes and think about how quickly things could go wrong. Put the phone down, pay attention and give space when you see us. An inch means life or death.”
Great message make me think twice I tell you that much .