Equipment used in managing traffic accidents

 EQUIPMENT NEEDED IN MANAGING TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

Procuring equipment for incident clearance should be evaluated to improve incident management process. In case of a traffic accident, equipment is needed at most stages as described below

• Incident response includes dispatching appropriate personnel and equipment as soon as there is a reasonable certainty that an incident has occurred.
• Traffic incident management includes ensuring the availability of traffic control equipment and materials
• Procuring equipment for incident clearance should be evaluated to improve the incident management process
• The incident response guide contains the location and availability of equipment needed in managing traffic accidents
• CCTV is a non-intrusive video image processing equipment that is used to monitor near-by incidents with pan, tilt and zoom controls. A CCTV is extremely useful in verifying the location, nature and scope of an incident that has already been detected.
• Some of the specialised response equipments used in managing traffic accidents are:
• Heavy duty wreakers
• Inflatable air bag systems to upright overturned trucks, etc

• Some of the special use equipment used to help reduce clearance and response times are:
• Identification arm bands and vests
• Incident response and hazardous materials manuals
• Total station surveying equipment

Incident traffic management

INCIDENT TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Traffic Incident Management is a planned and coordinated program process to detect, respond to, and remove traffic incidents and restore traffic capacity as safely and quickly as possible.

• Traffic Incident Management requires a multidisciplinary approach.  
• Traffic incidents require a high level of cooperation and coordination among all agencies involved.
• Effective Incident Traffic Management activities depend on flexible communications and information systems. 
• On the basis of experiences from the military domain, it is possible to develop strategic concepts that ensure the improvement of information sharing and collective action. 
• Such concepts can also be applied to enhanced Traffic Incident Management information systems.
• Incident management is the total package of measures geared to optimise traffic safety during handling incidents like accidents, stopped vehicles, spilled vehicles, etc. to rapid and efficient of incidents to minimal traffic delays.
• Incident Traffic Management is used to arrive at Incident Management that is both preventive and curative.
• Curative Incident Management consists of procedures and technical improvement to speed up incident detection, verification and response.
• Preventive Incident Management is based on the assumption that dangerous (accident prone) situations can be predicted.
• Roadway geometry characteristics along with traffic and weather data are used to determine incident probability on a road segment.
• Using real-time data, short term predictions can be provided.
• Combination of Incident Management (IM) and Traffic Management (TM) can help develop a powerful strategy that is even more effective
  

Incident management process in road accidents

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PROCESS IN ROAD ACCIDENTS

An incident management process is a set of procedures and actions taken to respond to and resolve critical incidents.

It primarily concerns:

• how incidents are detected and communicated
• who is responsible
• what tools are used, and
• what steps are taken to resolve the incident.

Traffic incident management standards are there to protect all road users. 

Incident management is defined as the systematic, planned, and coordinated use of human, institutional, mechanical, and technical resources to reduce the duration and impact of incidents, and improve the safety of motorists, crash victims, and incident responders. 

Agencies typically responding to highway incidents include:

• Police
• Fire
• Towing and recovery
• Emergency medical service (EMS)
• Hazardous material
• Transportation agencies
• Media 

An “incident” is defined as any non-recurring event that causes a reduction of roadway capacity or an abnormal increase in demand.  

Events include:

• traffic crashes
• disabled vehicles
• spilled cargo
• highway maintenance
• reconstruction projects and
• special non-emergency events

Incident management process can be characterized as a set of activities that fall into the following seven categories. 

    1.    Detection of incident by:

• Mobile telephone calls from motorists
• Closed circuit TV cameras viewed by operators
• Automatic vehicle identification (AVI) combined with detection software
• Electronic traffic measuring devices (e.g., video imaging, loop or radar detectors) and algorithms that detect traffic abnormalities
• Motorist aid telephones or call boxes
• Police patrols
• Aerial surveillance
• Department of transportation or public works crews reporting via two-way radio
• Traffic reporting services
• Fleet vehicles (transit and trucking)
• Roaming service patrols 

2.     Verification

• Incident verification involves confirming the occurrence of an incident, determining its exact location, and obtaining as many relevant details about the incident as possible. Verification includes gathering enough information to dispatch the proper initial response. Incident verification is usually completed with the arrival of the first responders on the scene. Methods of verification include:
• Closed circuit TV cameras viewed by operators
• Dispatch field units (e.g., police or service patrols) to the incident site
• Communications with aircraft operated by the police, the media, or an information service provider
• Combining information from multiple cellular phone calls

3.    Motorist Information

• Motorist information involves activating various means of disseminating incident-related information to affected motorists.
• Media used to disseminate motorist information include the following
• Commercial radio broadcasts
•  Highway advisory radio (HAR)
• Variable message signs (VMS)
• Telephone information systems
• In-vehicle or personal data assistant information or route guidance systems
• Commercial and public television traffic reports
• Internet/on-line services

A variety of dissemination mechanisms provided by information service providers Motorist information needs to be disseminated as soon as possible, and beyond the time it takes clear an incident. It should be disseminated until traffic flow is returned to normal conditions. 

 4.    Response

• Incident response includes 
• dispatching the appropriate personnel and equipment, and
•  activating the appropriate communication links and motorist information media as possible.
• This is made possible through training and planning
• Effective response mainly involves preparedness by a number of agencies so that response to individual incidents is coordinated, efficient, and effective.

5.    Site Management

• Site management is the process of effectively coordinating and managing on-scene resources. Ensuring the safety of response personnel, incident victims, and other motorists is the foremost objective of incident site management. It involves the following activities
• Accurately assessing incidents
• Properly establishing priorities
• Notifying and coordinating with the appropriate agencies and organizations
• Using effective liaisons with other responders
• Maintaining clear communications 
• Effective incident site management can be facilitated by an incident command system (ICS) which involves
• Common terminology  
• Modular organization
• Integrated communications
• Agreed upon command structure
• Consolidated action plans
• Manageable span of control
• Designation of incident facilities and 
• Comprehensive resource management  

 6.    Traffic management

• Traffic management involves the application of traffic control measures in areas affected by an incident. It includes:
• Establishing point traffic control on-scene,
• Managing the roadway space by:
• opening and closing lanes
• blocking only the portion of the incident scene that is needed for safety 
• staging and parking emergency vehicles and equipment to minimize impact on traffic flow

• Deploying appropriate personnel to assist in traffic management (e.g., state police, local police, and service patrols)
• Actively managing traffic control devices (including ramp meters, lane control signs, and traffic signals) in affected areas, and
• Designating, developing, and operating alternate routes.

Each function of effective incident management, traffic control in the incident management context is rooted in planning.

7.    Clearance

• Incident clearance is the process of removing wreckage, debris, or any other element that disrupts the normal flow of traffic, or forces lane closures, and restoring the roadway capacity to its pre-incident condition.

Impacts of Road Accidents

 IMPACTS OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

"More people die of road accidents than by most diseases, so much so the Indian highways are among the top killers of the country." - Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer

Road safety is a shared responsibility 

The impacts of traffic accidents are listed below:

• Traffic accidents have a devastating human toll and the economic impact of road crashes is enormous
• The impact of road accidents on individual, family and society in terms of morbidity, disability, economic and social fall-out, is immense and remains unrecognized
• The economic impact of injuries is huge and is estimated to cost approximately 5% of the GDP, with injuries due to road crashes alone accounting for 3 % of the GDP 
•  The mental and emotional injuries after a car accident include
•  mental anguish
• emotional distres
• fear
• anger
• humiliation
• anxiety
• shock
• embarrassment
• random episodes of crying
• loss of appetite
• weight fluctuations
• lack of energy
• sexual dysfunction
• mood swings and
• sleep disturbances.
•  93% of the world's fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, who have approximately 60% of the world's vehicles.
• Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years.

Types of incidents

 TYPES OF INCIDENTS

The various types of traffic accidents that can happen anytime on the road are:

• Traffic accidents occur when a vehicle collides with another vehicle. They are are caused by:
• Obstruction
• Pedestrian
• Crossing
• Lingering animal
• Stationary object such as tree or utility pole
• Common types of traffic accidents are 
• vehicle rear end collisions
• side impact collisions
• vehicle rollover
• sideswipe collisions
• head-on collisions
• single car accidents and
• multiple vehicle pile-ups

 ===================================================

• REAR-END COLLISION

A rear end collision occurs when one car hits the rear of the car in front of it. A rear end collision usually happens when the vehicle ahead suddenly decelerates or when the vehicle behind suddenly accelerates.In this case, injuries to the passengers of the impacted vehicle are greater than those of the passengers of the impacting vehicle

• SIDE IMPACT COLLISION

Side impact collisions occur when the side of a vehicle is hit by the front or rear of another vehicle. Side impact collisions result in more severe injuries and vehicle damage. Injuries and damage depend on the safety features of the vehicle like:

• air bags
• crumple zones
• vehicle construction and
• materials used
  

• VEHICLE ROLLOVER

A vehicle rollover occurs when a vehicle flips over its side or roof. This usually happens when the vehicle makes a high speed sharp turn. Tall vehicles such as SUV's (Sport Utility Vehicle) are usually susceptible to a roll over accident since they have a high center of gravity

• SIDESWIPE COLLISION

Sideswipe collisions are collisions involving adjacent sides of two vehicles. Sideswipe collisions often result in only cosmetic damage

• HEAD-ON COLLISION

Head-on collisions are considered very fatal especially when the collision involves two vehicles traveling at very high speed.

• SINGLE CAR ACCIDENTS

A single car accident is a kind of accident involving only one vehicle. For example:

• driver losing vehicle control due to drowsiness
• driver falling asleep
• occurrence of brake malfunction
  

• MULTIPLE VEHICLE PILE-UPS

A multiple vehicle pile-up is an accident involving many vehicles and usually happens on highways. This is one of the deadliest traffic accidents since some vehicles are hit not once but multiple times from different directions. Cars may spin during a pile-up accident increasing the risk of serious injuries and loss of life to passengers. Escaping from the vehicle is not an option as there is a risk of being hit by upcoming vehicles. It is difficult to determine the cause of multiploe vehicle collisions.

Characteristics of traffic incidents

CHARACTERISTICS OF TRAFFIC INCIDENTS

• Accidents occur not only due to ignorance but also due to carelessness, thoughtlessness and over confidence
• Human, vehicular and environmental factors play role before, during and after a road traffic accidents (RTA)
• Road traffic injuries are partially predictable and hence preventable
• Strict traffic laws and penalties have to be imposed to curb this growing menace.
• The main causes of accidents to speeding, driver negligence and violation of traffic regulations. Majority of these accidents occur in urban areas and sometimes, the casualties involve pedestrians
• The high rate of population growth, 
• large percentage of young drivers
• dramatic and uncontrolled increase in the number of vehicles over recent years coupled with
  
• absence of strict law enforcement and
• poor road conditions have all contributed to the high accident rates. 

• Primarily, drivers have been the main cause of accidents in terms of negligence, high speed and poor driving
• Poor driving reflects carelessly changing lanes or making turns without signaling
• Negligence includes eating, talking to a rider or on phone or playing with radio, etc while driving
• However, vehicle age, mechanical defects, tyre failures do have impact on safety. 
• High speeds and pedestrians remain to be the main contributors to road traffic accidents
• Some of the typical characteristics of road traffic accidents are listed
• Age of the driver
• Gender of the driver
• Driver history
• Time of occurrence of accident
• Condition of vehicle
• Condition of the road
• Weather conditions
• Visibility / lighting
• Type of vehicles involved in the accident
• Speed of the vehicle
• Consumption of alcohol and drugs
• Educational level plays an important characteristic in road traffic accidents in that with increasing educational level a driver becomes attached to safer driving techniques

Introduction to Incident management in Road Accidents

INTRODUCTION TO INCIDENT MANAGEMENT IN ROAD ACCIDENTS

• Incident management is a coordinated and planned approach for responding to incidents when they occur on highway systems. It involves the systematic use of human and mechanical processes for detecting, responding to and clearing incidents.
• Effective traffic incident management reduces the duration and impacts of traffic incidents and improves the safety of motorists, crash victims and emergency responders.
• Agencies typically responding to highway incidents include:
  • Police
  • Fire
  • Towing and recovery
  • Emergency medical service (EMS)
  • Hazardous material
  • Transportation agencies
  • Media
• An “incident” is defined as any non-recurring event that causes a reduction of roadway capacity or an abnormal increase in demand. Such events include traffic crashes, disabled vehicles, spilled cargo, highway maintenance and reconstruction projects, and special non-emergency events (e.g., ball games, concerts, or any other event that significantly affects roadway operations). 
• All the functions (seven activities) that together comprise the process of incident management is as follows:

1. Detection
2. Verification
3. Motorist Information
4. Response
5. Site Management
6. Traffic Management and
7. Clearance

Traffic Incident Management (TIM) is a planned and coordinated program process to 

• detect, 
• respond to, and remove traffic incidents and
• restore traffic capacity as safely and quickly as possible.  

Effective TIM reduces the duration and impacts of traffic incidents and improves the safety of motorists, crash victims and emergency responders. 

 

The National Highways Authority of India is in the process of rolling-out an integrated setup through the Traffic Incident Emergency Management System (TIMS). Under TIMS:

• Incident Management Contractors to be appointed at state/regional office level for providing ambulances, tow-away cranes and highway surveillance vehicles across all highways in the state/region
• Regional Command and Control Centre for monitoring and operations, in the States of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on a pilot basis.
• In each of the pilot states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, tentatively 100 - 110 additional ambulances are planned to be provided through the Incident Management service contractor.
• On successful implementation in these two states, the program will then be scaled up to a national level.
  

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to introduce a robust system to promptly detect accidents and any incidents such as traffic jams or breakdown of vehicles across its stretches.

• To begin with, the incident management system will cover nearly 11,000 km in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• These stretches will have adequate deployment of ambulances, surveillance vehicles, tow-away cranes at regular intervals.
• All these will be mapped, connected and controlled by an IT-based regional command centre for real- time detection of incidents and quick response.
  

The operators of TIM services would provide

• Two patient capacity’ ambulance at every 40 - 45 km or a ‘four patient capacity ambulance’ at every 100 km
• 24X7 surveillance vehicles. Surveillance vehicles to cover the assigned stretch at least once every four hours. The in-charge of these vehicles to inform about any incident to the regional centre and police.
• They would provide mechanical assistance in case of vehicle breakdowns and basic mechanical repairs, provide fuel and water to stranded motorists enabling them to reach the closest fuel station.
• Operators will be required to put overhead electronic display to alert users about traffic status on the stretch and other information.