Spring 2011
Safety Training for SSPs
“When you step out of the vehicle onto the highway, you’re stepping into harm’s way,” says Jack Sullivan, Director of Training at the Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI). “Many times we assume that because we’ve got a fancy vehicle with flashing lights and maybe an arrow board that that’s enough to protect us. The reality is that motorists today are too distracted.” Motorists might not see a Safety Service Patrol driver or comprehend what the driver is doing, and the results can be tragic. According to the National Traffic Incident Management Coalition, being struck by vehicles while working alongside the highway is one of the leading causes of death and injury for emergency responders. Move over/slow down laws and public awareness campaigns alone can’t solve the problem. Safety Service Patrol drivers need training that emphasizes safety… Read More
Winter 2011
Data-Based Deployment of SSPs: A Growing Trend
“We found ourselves in a budget crunch, and had to make hard decisions about the extent of our safety service patrols.” So said Jim Hogan, Executive Director of Statewide Traffic Operations for the New Jersey DOT when reviewing the determining factors of choosing patrol routes for NJDOT’s Safety Service Patrol. “Capital needs required that we give up some of our operational budget. The SSP had to contribute. This forced us to use an objective criteria to maximize the dollars we do have.” When the NJDOT began the patrols in 1994 the criteria they used to determine patrol routes was primarily congestion by mile. The original 60 miles patrolled were the most congested in the state. As service expanded over the years, from 60 to 395 miles, the basis for what roads were added was intuitive reasoning… Read More
Fall 2010
Technology & Communication & Safety Service Patrols
Communications, other technologies are vital for safety as well as service.
Technologies available for Safety Service Patrols (SSPs) across the U.S. are fairly much the same. Differences in operations arise out of local response organization, road architecture, and terrain and weather concerns. A quick survey of state departments of transportation (DOTs) highlights these similarities and differences. In Minnesota, the MNDOT FIRST (Freeway Incident Response Safety Team) TMC (Traffic Management Center) staff is co-located in the Twin Cities with the department’s maintenance dispatch and State Patrol (police) dispatch. CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) stations handle the FIRST response vehicles, each equipped with a laptop and VPN access to the CAD system. GPS-based AVL (Automatic Vehicle Locator) position information and logging of response “stops” is done via the CAD. And a comprehensive traffic CCTV network in the metro area is complemented with in-roadway detection sensors… Read More
Summer 2010
The “Green” Effect
Safety Service Patrols Offer Tangible Environmental Benefits
Safety Service Patrols’ top benefit is motorist safety. A less often discussed, but extremely significant additional benefit of these patrols is their proven “green” effect of reducing pollution. By helping disabled motorists get off the road, traffic congestion decreases, so fewer cars sit idling and therefore fewer pollutants fill the air. “Service Patrols are one of many efforts that can help reduce emissions and improve local air quality and livability in general,” said Doug Hecox, spokesperson for the FHWA Office of Transportation… Read More
Spring 2010
Secondary Highway Incidents
Assessing the Effectiveness of Safety Service Patrols
The logic seems clear: Mitigating the impact of accidents and incidents would seem to reduce secondary accidents and incidents, but how do we really know this? And, just how effective are Safety Service Patrols in reducing secondary accidents? To answer these questions, we turn to those who have measured cost benefits of Safety Service Patrols to see how the “prevention of an occurrence” is treated… Read More
Winter 2010
Eyes on the Road, Not the Text
Serious risks are associated with disabled vehicles at the side of our nation’s highways. Safety patrol operators changing tires and fixing mechanical problems work just inches away from vehicles speeding down the road at 50-60-70 miles per hour. For drivers a blink of an eye or a moment of distraction can result in a fatal mistake… Read More
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