CLARKSVILLE, IN (January 19, 2021) – According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the position of Trash Collector was the sixth most dangerous civilian job in the United States in 2020. Based on recent statistics, it looks like that trend will continue for years to come. Now one Clarksville Councilman is calling for area residents to take extra care in protecting Town Public Works employees.

District 4 Councilman Mike Mustain says he was recently traveling on Blackiston Mill Road in the early morning hours, when he approached a garbage collection truck in the opposite lane. Behind that truck were several vehicles waiting patiently for the truck to continue down the road. That’s when Mustain says an impatient driver drove around the line of traffic, into his lane, nearly hitting him head on.

“We are running late, maybe had a bad morning, maybe preoccupied with the events of the day,” said District 4 Councilman Mike Mustain. “Whatever the reason we come upon a garage truck, bus stop or police officer making a stop and we feel pressured to hurry around them not realizing how much danger we put them in.”

During Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting, Mustain made public comments calling for area residents to take extra care when driving near Town employees who may be working on local roadways. This includes police, firefighters, garbage collectors, and other public works employees.

“Please be patient with town services and raise your awareness when encountering them doing their assigned tasks,” said Mustain. “It is imperative that we consider town employee safety as employers, but also as citizens of our town.” 

Mustain says he believes that garbage collection is one of the most dangerous jobs in the US not because it is inherently dangerous, but because impatient drivers make it so.