NCJ Number
220350
Date Published
2006
Length
61 pages
Annotation
This report provides the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri Department of Transportation, Highway Safety Division, and other State and local authorities with information on the problem of emergency service vehicle traffic accidents occurring in the State of Missouri.
Abstract
The results of this study were described in terms of an overview of Missouri’s emergency services traffic accident problem, and included an analysis focusing on police vehicle involvement, fire vehicle involvement, and ambulance involvement. The specific findings in this study indicated that in 2006, there were 1,377 traffic accidents involving 1,426 emergency service vehicles in Missouri. Of the 1,426 emergency service vehicles involved, 402, or 28 percent were responding to an emergency at the time of the accident. Of the 1,426 vehicles, 1,070, or 75 percent were law enforcement vehicles, 181, or 12.7 percent were fire vehicles, and 143, or 10 percent were ambulances. In a sizable portion of the accidents, the emergency service vehicles were responding to emergency situations. The accident prevented them from providing the emergency care services required for the initial response; the seriousness of the accidents was compounded by the fact that the original emergency response was delayed or prevented. The emergency service vehicles and the staff who operate them are critical public safety resources within the community. Loss of trained emergency service staff personnel and emergency response vehicles and equipment reduces the community’s capability to respond to future emergency situations. This report identifies the magnitude, severity, and characteristics of emergency service vehicles involved in traffic accidents occurring in the State of Missouri. It describes Missouri’s emergency service vehicle traffic crash experience in 2004-2006 using data collected from the Missouri Statewide Traffic Accident Records System (STARS). Tables, figures, glossary