< Back to Previous Page

It's An Accident Waiting To Happen On Connecticut's Limited Access Highways Car Enters From An On Ramp

State officials say public safety is foremost concern when an accident occurs
A BLUE CAR IS TRAVELING along in the right lane of one of Connecticut's limited access highways obeying the speed limit while a second car enters from an on ramp, disobeying a yield sign. It's an accident waiting to happen.

So begins a public service message, produced on behalf of the state Department of Transportation (DOT) and aired on many Connecticut television stations recently, to inform motorists of a relatively new state law. The legislation, known in transportation circles as the state's accident clearance policy, was passed by the 1994 Connecticut General Assembly and went into effect nearly a year and a half ago. According to the DOT and the Connecticut State Police, the purpose of the legislation is two-fold: to help keep the state's limited access highways clear and to make them safer for travelers.

The law states that all movable vehicles involved in a non-injury accident on the state's limited access highways must be moved from the traveled portion of the roadway onto the available shoulder or grassy area as soon as it is safe to do so. Clearing these vehicles from the roadway allows other motorists to pass safely through the accident scene and decreases the risk of additional accidents. Limited access highways include the interstates, parkways and connectors.

According to the DOT's Manager of Highway Operations, William W. Stoeckert, the large majority of delays are caused by these "fender-bender" type accidents, and of course, delays contribute to highway congestion. "The removal of these vehicles from the traveled portion of the highway reduces the amount of resultant congestion," Stoeckert notes.

In its campaign to get the legislation approved, the DOT sought the cooperation of the insurance industry, the Association of Police Chiefs and the Connecticut State Police.

The DOT admits that, for many folks, relearning what they were taught as young drivers isn't always easy. For years, drivers had been told to remain in place following an accident so the police would be able to determine who was at fault. Then came no-fault insurance, which meant that determining liability in accidents of this type wasn't necessary. More recently, we've seen the repeal of no-fault insurance in Connecticut (January 1, 1994).

"Today, we have more sophisticated techniques to determine who is at fault, so that shouldn't even be an issue," said Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Krisavage, who serves as DOT liaison for his department. "Our main concern is for the public's safety, and remaining in one's vehicle on the highway following an accident puts the person at greater risk of injury from a secondary accident. We need to get people and their vehicles off the road as quickly as possible, not just for their own safety but also for that of others traveling through the area," Krisavage said.

Quick Clearance Agreement

With the public's safety utmost in mind, both the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Connecticut State Police late last year announced a joint policy agreement calling for quicker clearance of accident scenes on the state's limited access highways. Days after the new policy was announced, it was put to the test on I-95 in New Haven, when a tractor-trailer crashed into a Jersey barrier, spilling its load and knocking down an overhead highway sign. The peak-time incident snarled traffic along the Quinnipiac River Bridge for three hours.

But the DOT's Stoeckert said three hours wasn't bad considering the magnitude of what took place at the accident scene. The incident was managed by a number of different agencies -- state police, the DOT, New Haven fire officials, the state Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard and a private contractor, because of the spilling of diesel fuel.

Stoeckert says part of the quick road clearance policy is to call in enough equipment as soon as the accident occurs, noting that two payloaders had been dispatched to the scene immediately, whereas in the past, a second vehicle would not have been sent immediately.

The state's new Incident Management operations center in Bridgeport allows trained personnel viewing a 56-mile stretch of I-95 from 33 video monitors not only to detect an incident more quickly and verify its location but also, working with state police, to dispatch the appropriate emergency response teams.

The operations facility at the Troop G barracks in Bridgeport, which the DOT and state police share, seems to have created more than just physically close working conditions. It appears to have fostered relations between the two departments, at least according to one DOT insider, who says the practices behind the quick road clearance agreement are continually put into place during accident investigations by the members of Troop G who patrol Fairfield and New Haven County highways, making that portion of the state a model for the remainder to follow.

If you or your loved one have been in an accident that involved a serious injury, know your legal rights by contacting the nearest Accident Attorney.

Contact an Accident Attorney Now!