Slow down and move over during Crash Responder Safety Week

November has begun, and that means cooler weather, the start of the holiday season and Crash Responder Safety Week. 

Crash Responder Safety Week, which runs Nov. 2-6, is held annually to raise awareness about the important work our first responders do every day to keep crash victims and the motoring public safe. 

ADOT works closely with our partners at the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, emergency medical personnel certified by the Arizona Department of Health Services, and the towing industry to improve safety for our responders and the traveling public who use our highways.

Members of ADOT’s Incident Response Unit (IRU), sponsored by GEICO, and maintenance crews statewide, are trained in Traffic Incident Management (TIM), and we collaborate with our safety partners to coordinate resources that help detect, respond to and clear traffic incidents so traffic flow can be restored safely and quickly.

Whether it’s a multi-vehicle crash that shuts down a highway or a stranded motorist blocking a travel lane, IRU or maintenance crewmembers implement traffic control at the scene of an incident to help keep the traveling public safe and reduce the possibility of secondary collisions, which can be more serious than the initial incident. 

IRU and maintenance crewmembers respond to thousands of incidents every year with the goal of restoring traffic flow as quickly and safely as possible. They keep us safer on highways, while putting themselves at risk.

In one incident, a member of ADOT’s IRU team stopped on the Interstate 17 southbound off-ramp near Durango Street in Phoenix to help a stranded motorist. After he stepped out of his truck to speak to the driver, another motorist drove past and struck his vehicle, damaging a door. 

While no one was hurt this time, it could have ended far worse. And we don’t want the worst to happen.

So during Crash Responder Safety Week, and every day of the year, I’m calling on all drivers to take responsibility for their actions and stay alert when driving. If you see a vehicle’s flashing lights, slow down and move over. 

Lives are on the line.