摘要: |
Traffic incidents cause 25 percent of delay on highways (1). These incidents can be dangerous for responders. From 2010 through 2012, at least 10 firefighters (2, 3, 4), 4 paramedics (5, 6, 7), and 7 law enforcement personnel (8) died after being struck by vehicles while responding to incidents. Data on towing and recovery industry occupational fatalities are not well tracked, but the Towing and Recovery Association of America anecdotally reports losses nearing 100 towing operators in the line of service annually (9). A strong interdisciplinary traffic incident management program can improve responder safety; significantly decrease incident duration; and when combined with traveler information, can increase peak-period freeway speeds, reduce crash rates, and improve trip time reliability. |