What is TIM?
The United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration defines Traffic Incident Management as a "planned and coordinated multidisciplinary process to detect, respond to, and clear traffic incidents so that traffic flow may be restored as safely and quickly as possible."
In Pennsylvania on average:
- 355 reportable traffic crashes occur each day (approximately 15 crashes every hour)
- 3 persons are fatally injured in reportable crashes each day (one fatality every eight hours)
- 227 persons are injured in reportable crashes each day (about 9 injuries every hour)
Effective TIM improves the safety of motorists, incident victims, and emergency responders across all disciplines while simultaneously reducing congestion delays. TIM in Pennsylvania represents a blend of rural and urban needs, of volunteer and paid professionals, of personnel from state and local agencies, and of county governments and state directives.
Ultimately, TIM is a coordinated process that involves partners from both the public and private sector including, but certainly not limited to:
- Law Enforcement
- Fire/Rescue
- Emergency Medical Services
- Transportation Agencies
- Public Safety Communications
- Emergency Management
- Towing and Recovery
- Hazardous Materials Responders/Contractors
- Traffic Media Outlets