The National Traffic Incident Management Coalition (NTIMC) is a unique forum where national organizations representing major stakeholders involved in traffic incident response work together. Our members represent the Emergency Medical Services, Fire, Law Enforcement, Public Safety Communications, Towing and Recovery, and Transportation communities. NTIMC promotes multidisciplinary, multi-jurisdictional Traffic Incident Management (TIM) programs.
Vision
Leading and supporting a national network of traffic incident management (TIM) programs that are consistently implemented.
Mission
To link public safety and transportation communities to define, standardize, and advance the state of traffic incident management practice.
The Need to Improve Traffic Incident Management
Improved traffic incident management provides benefits in the areas of congestion relief, responder safety, and domestic emergency preparedness.
Congestion Relief. One-quarter of the traffic congestion in the United States is caused by non-recurring traffic incidents. While we have learned to function around high levels of recurring congestion during regular peak travel periods, unexpected travel delay is especially destructive to the economy. For every minute that an Interstate lane is blocked during peak congestion, four minutes of travel delay result. Clearing the road quickly requires responders to work together efficiently to accomplish the many tasks involved in traffic incident management: EMS, emergency communications, fire, law enforcement, transportation, towing and recovery, hazmat, public information.
Responder Safety. Responder deaths and injuries are a concern, as "struck-by" incidents happen too frequently. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, struck-by-vehicle incidents accounted for 322 fatalities in 2008, 6 percent of all fatal occupational injuries.
Through NTIMC, public safety and transportation organizations join together to promote responder safety policies (such as move-over laws); to encourage the use of new technologies and gear protecting responders during roadside operations; and to promote improved safety procedures and traffic incident responder training .
Domestic Emergency Preparedness. Good traffic incident management is built on strong operational partnerships between transportation and public safety. When we work together side-by-side every day to manage the routine incidents, we build the strong relationships and cooperative policies we need to manage the transportation impacts of major incidents.
NTIMC Activities
NTIMC members work together to promote State, regional and local TIM Programs; standards, best practices, and performance measures; and research.The NTIMC supports the traffic incident community through policy development; technical, outreach, and awareness publications; and outreach activities. A summary of recent NTIMC accomplishments can be found here.
NTIMC is a leader in the effort to implement the National Unified Goal (NUG) for Traffic Incident Management. The NUG is a national policy developed by major national organizations representing traffic incident responders. It encourages State and local transportation and public safety agencies to adopt unified, multi-disciplinary policies, procedures, and practices that will dramatically improve the way traffic incidents are managed on U.S. roadways.
