Write Up:

While the ultimate goal is to eliminate work zone crashes, the goal for this measure is to reduce the number of protective vehicle/truck-mounted attenuator crashes to below the previous four-year average. 

In the third quarter of 2023, MoDOT had eight reported protective vehicle crashes. The number of crashes through the third quarter of 2023 is 1.12 times higher than the year-to-date average for the previous four years. These crashes can be less than $100 in damage to the TMA, but in most cases, a new TMA, costing approximately $50,000, is required. This does not include staff time, truck damage, lost wages or medical bills. 

This quarter, three employees in a TMA crash sought medical attention. All of the TMA crashes this quarter happened during the day, predominately in urban areas. Operations in which crashes occurred included two pothole patching, two sweeping, one mowing and three others.

Purpose of the Measure:

MoDOT owns more than 500 truck- or trailer-mounted attenuators that are used to save lives by absorbing the impact of a crash in a work zone. By measuring the number of TMA/Protective vehicle hits, MoDOT is able to identify higher risk activities that could result in a crash and share this information to develop strategies to eliminate work zone crashes.  

Measurement and Data Collection:

When a TMA incident occurs, a claim report is completed. The claim reports and any associated police reports are collected by Risk Management Technicians for review and interpretation. A statewide work zone incident team reviews TMA incidents and looks for strategies to improve the operations to reduce or eliminate the incidents. Only incidents where the TMA was in an active work zone protecting workers are included in this data. This measure is reported based on quarters of a calendar year.