Traffic Incident Management
Traffic Incident Managent Overview ITS Public Safety Program Conferences and Meeting Training Reports and Documents Incident Management Links
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Traffic Incident Management Performance MeasuresThe Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) performed a study of various types of performances measures used to evaluate the progress of traffic incident management programs in several locations around the country. The study included performance data collected by both transportation and public safety agencies, and examined how the data was classified, used and stored. (HTML, PDF 9.32MB) Traffic Incident Quick Clearance Reports AvailableTwo new reports on laws, policies and procedures governing the quick clearance of traffic incidents have recently been completed and are available on-line.
National Traffic Incident Management Self Assessment ResultsIn 2003, the Federal Highway Administration facilitated assessments of Traffic Incident Management (TIM) programs in the largest 75 urban areas of the United States. Representatives of key transportation and public safety agencies and private sector partners in each area conducted the assessments. The assessment consisted of 34 questions covering the three main TIM program areas - (1) Program and Institutional Issues, (2) Operational Issues, and (3) Communications and Technology Issues. The national average score was 46.5% (100% maximum score). Of the program areas, the Operational Issues scored the highest with 57.3% (22.9% out of 40%). Most TIM programs place emphasis on this area first, that is, directly addressing the rapid and safe clearance of incidents. The other two areas support on-scene operations. The Communications and Technology Issues section includes two-way voice, data and video communications along with ITS initiatives for traffic incident management and traveler information. The national average score for this section was 41.7% (12% out of 30%). The Programmatic and Institutional Issues section covered multi-agency program development, support and measurement. It scored the lowest of the three sections at 36.7% (11.0% out of 30%). The Traffic Incident Management Self Assessment is summarized in two documents – The National Detail Summary Report (HTML, Word 178KB) and the National Executive Summary Report (HTML, Word 123KB). How Effective Is Your Traffic Incident Management Program: A Self-AssessmentThe Traffic Incident Management Self-Assessment is a tool to be used by state and regional program managers to assess their achievement of a successful multi-agency program to manage traffic incidents effectively and safely. The tool also provides a method to assess gaps and needs in existing multi-agency regional and statewide efforts to mitigate congestion caused by traffic incidents. The TIM Self-Assessment Guide is also available as a Microsoft Word file (107KB), and the companion scoring template as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Traffic Incident Management Performance MeasuresFHWA has recently completed a brief study of performance measures for Traffic Incident Management (TIM). The study, performed by Texas Transportation Institute examined TIM performance measurement practices of transportation and public safety agencies (primarily law enforcement and fire/rescue) across the United States. The goal of the study was to provide a better understanding of how transportation and public safety agencies measure performance in traffic incident management and to identify the differences in the definitions and data sources of the measures of used. The study found that while many agencies measure performance related to traffic incident management, the definition of the measures are inconsistent across transportation and public safety disciplines. Agencies tend to measure what is important to them with little coordination on measurement with other agencies in the same region. The most common measures for traffic incident management are:
There is no common definition of these measures, however, or any general agreement on what constitutes an "incident". To obtain a copy of the complete study, please contact David Helman. National Traffic Incident Management Conference ProceedingsThe National Conference on Traffic Incident Management was held March 11-13, 2002, at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, CA. The purpose of this Conference, jointly sponsored the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, ITS America, and the Federal Highway Administration, was to identify issues and actions as a roadmap to the future to improve traffic incident management program planning, field operations, and inter-agency communications. The Conference attracted over 150 professionals and policy makers from law enforcement agencies, fire departments, the emergency medical services community, state and local transportation organizations, the towing and recovery community, and technology providers. Over 100 action ideas were generated in eighteen breakout sessions covering three categories of issues for traffic incident management: (1) program and institutional issues, (2) on-scene operational issues, and (3) communications and technology issues. The top seven issues identified were:
FHWA’s Traffic Incident Management ProgramAdministrator Mary Peters has identified Traffic Incident Management as one of the FHWA’s Vital Few areas for program focus to relieve the effects of traffic congestion on our nation’s highways. The FHWA’s Traffic Incident Management Program, which is closely linked to the USDOT’s ITS Public Safety Program, has three program areas:
More specifically, these program areas focus on the following issues: Regional and Statewide Programs and Institutional Coordination
On-Scene Traffic Incident Management Operations
Integrated Interagency Communications
Updates on FHWA program activities will be covered in future updates of this website. Specific information about the ITS Public Safety Program can be obtain from the Public Safety Program website.
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