KTC-03-18
"Highway Crash Site Management" M.L. Barrett, J.R. Walton
ABSTRACT
Traveler delay is the
problem most often associated with highway crashes, but by far the most
serious problem is the resulting secondary crashes that occur. Another
related issue is the danger posed to response personnel serving the
public at the scene of a crash. The longer a crash is in place, the
longer the responders are vulnerable and exposed to injury.
The Kentucky Transportation Center, in cooperation
with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, developed a checklist and
interagency workshop to address ways to secure and coordinate the
resources necessary to restore the roadway’s operation in a safe and
timely manner. The Highway Crash Site Management workshop and Checklist
have been a very effective way to get the message of quick clearance to
emergency responders.
During the past fiscal year (2002-2003), emphasis was
placed on conducting more workshops and distributing more Checklists.
Six additional workshops were conducted and 1000 Checklists were printed
for distribution. In addition, minor modifications were made to the
workshop material and delivery process. A packet of information
pertaining to the project was distributed nationally as a way to share
Kentucky’s “successful practices”, and an evaluation survey was
conducted to determine the benefits of the workshop and Checklist.
It is the finding of this study that emergency
responders are receptive to this program and that conducting more
workshops and distributing more Checklists would improve crash site
management throughout the state. Minor modifications should be made to
the workshop in an effort to make the program more sustainable, and the
management and organization should gradually be turned over to the
Technology Transfer section of the Kentucky Transportation Center.