Department Highlights Reduction in Secondary Crashes During Crash Responder Safety Week
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – This week, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is joining partners across the state to recognize Crash Responder Safety Week (November 18-22, 2024) and highlight the continued success of enhanced traffic incident management training and various safety countermeasures to reduce secondary crashes on Florida’s roadways.
Every minute of every day, FDOT’s Road Rangers and other crash responders, like law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services, and tow truck operators, carry out essential work to keep roadways and motorists safe before, during, and after a traffic incident. In the last year alone, Road Rangers expertly responded to over 33,000 traffic incidents throughout the state, providing essential services such as the clearing of disabled vehicles and debris from travel lanes and essential maintenance-of-traffic services to keep traffic safely moving around the active incident.
When traffic incidents occur on one of Florida’s major corridors, FDOT’s Road Rangers are often some of the first responders on the scene, working quickly to render aid and create new traffic patterns to reduce congestion resulting from the initial crash. These traffic management services are important to further protect motorists and crash responders, as congestion has the potential to lead to secondary crashes caused by distracted motorists or unexpected stops and slower traffic speeds. FDOT’s Road Rangers are specially trained on how to efficiently clear traffic incidents and safely reroute motorists around the scene, contributing to the recent reduction in secondary crashes along Florida’s major corridors throughout the last year, from 492 crashes in FY 22-23 to 426 in FY 23-24.
“As experts in traffic incident management, FDOT’s Road Rangers and other crash responders put their lives on the line each day to keep motorists safe thanks to their quick response and efficient scene clearance,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “These responders are a major part of the solution for creating safer roads through their reduction of secondary crashes, and FDOT is proud to continue establishing new technology and initiatives to ensure that these responders and all motorists make it home safely. We encourage everyone to join us in recognizing and appreciating the important role of these responders during Crash Responder Safety Week.”
The reduction in secondary crashes on Florida’s roadways reflects FDOT’s commitment to achieving its vision of eliminating serious injuries and fatalities from occurring on the state’s transportation system, as well as the tangible impact of high-quality traffic incident management training courses for Road Rangers. With the Department’s continued focus on the safety of the communities it serves through the delivery of services by a strong and highly-skilled workforce, FDOT has continued to establish new workforce development programs and partnerships across the transportation industry. Most recently, FDOT partnered with the Florida Department of Health to approve the National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training as a continuing education credit for EMS professionals as part of their recertification process, encouraging greater integration of safe and efficient traffic incident management practices across multiple crash responder entities.
In addition to these training standards and partnerships, FDOT has also carried out multiple initiatives to enhance the safety of Road Rangers and other Department personnel working in the roadway, including the use of advanced notification systems through Dynamic Message Signs and third-party navigation apps, as well as the installation of truck-mounted debris removal systems on Road Ranger vehicles, the use of LED flares and truck mounted attenuators, and the ongoing research and implementation of rear-facing red lights on these vehicles to enhance the roadside visibility of responders.
As FDOT continues to place heavy emphasis on the research and the development of innovative, life-saving countermeasures to keep Road Rangers, travelers, law enforcement, and other essential crash responders safe, Florida’s motorists are also encouraged to uphold their personal responsibility of driving safely near active traffic incidents. With crash responders having to work directly in or near live traffic while at the scene of a crash, unsafe driver behaviors can often place these individuals at an increased risk of injuries or fatalities. Following these simple actions behind the wheel can help protect responders and other motorists:
- Move over a lane if safe to do so or reduce speed
- Never drive under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or other impairing substances
- Always avoid distractions while behind the wheel
- Adhere to posted speed limits
- Stay vigilant and expecting the unexpected
