Focusing on safety, time savings, reducing traffic congestion caused by motor vehicle crashes and other highway incidents, and homeland security, the state of Ohio unveiled Ohio Quick Clear in Dayton.
Ohio Quick Clear is a set of policies and procedures for emergency responders, which allow for the quick clearance of crash vehicles to reduce congestion and reduce the frequency of secondary crashes. The emphasis of Ohio Quick Clear is to save lives and reduce injuries on Ohio roads, with a secondary benefit of saving motorists time by emergency responders holding traffic at a highway emergency scene only as long as necessary.
"We believe Ohio Quick Clear will reduce roadway congestion and closures due to the increased emphasis on coordination and cooperation between agencies at a crash scene," said Col. Paul McClellan, Ohio State Highway Patrol superintendent. "In the short time Highway Patrol troopers have been utilizing the Ohio Quick Clear method on I-75 in Dayton we have seen positive results from this program."
According to the U.S. DOT, about half of all urban congestion is caused by incidents on the roadway such as crashes, spills and disabled vehicles.
The program will be introduced throughout Ohio in the upcoming weeks during regional training sessions with area emergency responder organizations.
Emergency responder agencies throughout Ohio have received an "Emergency Responder Checklist" to use as an aid in making decisions that can reduce traffic congestion caused by crashes or other roadway-related incidents. A second phase of Ohio Quick Clear is being planned, which is a public education component to have motorists move minor damage crash vehicles to the berm or nearest place of safety, providing there are no injuries and the vehicles are moveable, to help alleviate congestion prior to the arrival of emergency responder personnel.
