Evaluation of Two Regional Transportation Systems Management and Operations Strategies for Improving the Response to Disabled Vehicles

Abstract

Disabled vehicles are a common issue faced by agencies which can negatively affect traffic operations and safety. A wide range of response strategies exist, but determining which are best for a region can be challenging. After surveying 60 U.S. traffic incident management stakeholders, two commonly suggested improvements to disabled vehicle response strategies were: 1) expanding safety service patrols (SSPs) and 2) increasing towing capabilities. This paper develops a congestion-based methodology for quantifying the congestion reduction benefits of implementing these improved strategies for addressing disabled vehicles, specifically expanding SSP patrol hours and implementing instant dispatch tow (IDT) programs. Using 2019 incident data from three Florida, U.S., limited access roadways, the estimated congestion costs caused by disabled vehicles on the studied roadways were over $20 million. The estimated congestion savings for expanding Road Rangers (Florida’s SSP) ranged from $196,315 to $1,413,641 ($14,023 to $20,488 per incident). Implementing an IDT program had estimated congestion savings ranging from $398,353 to $3,910,299 ($9,264 to $76,485 per incident). IDT programs would address more disabled vehicle incidents than Road Ranger expansions, making the benefits substantially higher, especially on urban roadways. Based on the results, it is recommended that agencies prioritize IDT deployment on urban roadways with long incident durations for the most immediate benefits. An IDT program would also be able to address other types of incident, likely making the benefits greater than those estimated in this paper. Agencies nationwide can use this paper’s methodology and results to help identify effective regional disabled vehicle transportation systems management and operations strategies.