Write Up:

While the ultimate goal is to eliminate work zone crashes, the goal for this measure is to reduce the number of truck-mounted attenuator hits below the previous four-year average.  In the first quarter of 2020, MoDOT had 13 reported TMA hits from which five MoDOT employees sought medical attention. This quarter is pot hole season with nine TMA hits for patching pot holes,  one hit for sweeping, one hit for a sign crew, one hit helping police with an accident and one hit while the crew was on the shoulder before they even entered the roadway.  Surprisingly half of the TMA hits were a hit and run, including some substantial collisions where the drivers get out to look, then jump back in their car and drive off. While the number of TMA hits was approximately double a typical first quarter, no serious injuries were noted in the police reports from these collisions.  Erratic driving and speed appeared to be an issue throughout this quarter.

Purpose of the Measure:

 MoDOT owns more than 300 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 hits by types of operation, 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.  Only incidents where the TMA was involved are included in this data.  This measure is reported based on quarters of a calendar year.