2019 Traffic Incident Management Capability Maturity Self-Assessment National Analysis Report
Chapter 6. Results Summary
A total of 94 locations completed a Traffic Incident Management Capability Maturity Self-Assessment (TIM CM SA) in 2019, with an average overall score of 73.3 percent (out of a possible 100 percent). The TIM CM SA mean scores tended to be higher in larger metropolitan areas than in smaller areas. Specifically, mean scores were calculated for the top 40 metropolitan areas (by population), the top 75 metropolitan areas, and all other metropolitan areas that responded but were not in either of these groups:
- Top 40 metro areas: 77.5 percent.
- Top 75 metro areas: 75.5 percent.
- Non-top 75: 68.5 percent.
- Overall: 73.3 percent.
The highest scores were achieved in Tactical (77.5 percent) and the largest percentage increase in scores from the Baseline was in Support (86.4 percent). Low-scoring questions and those with the least improvement over Baseline indicate specific program areas where additional guidance from FHWA may be warranted.
Among the lowest scoring questions on this year's TIM CM SA, five were in the TIM Performance Measures (TIM PM) subsection and one was in the Support section (table 13). Despite low average scores, these questions experienced an increase from the 2018 TIM CM SA.
Table 13. Lowest scoring questions on 2019 TIM CM SA.
| Question |
2019 Average Score |
Percent Change from 2018 Average Score |
| 27. Has the TIM program established performance targets for a reduction in the number of Secondary Crashes? |
1.55 |
9.9 |
| 28. How does your agency use Secondary Crash performance data to influence your TIM operations? |
1.94 |
4.9 |
| 23. Has the TIM program established performance targets for ICT? |
2.07 |
11.3 |
| 24. How does your agency use ICT performance data to influence your TIM operations? |
2.20 |
2.8 |
| 26. How is data for the number of Secondary Crashes collected? |
2.37 |
11.8 |
| 54. Are there policies or procedures in place for signal timing changes to support traffic management during incident response? |
2.37 |
1.3 |
ICT = Incident Clearance Time. TIM = Traffic Incident Management.
Another indicator of where resources should be focused is what a question scores relative to its Baseline score. Five questions in the 2019 TIM CM SA have average scores below their respective Baseline scores (table 14).
Table 14. Scores below Baseline.
| Question |
2019 Average Score |
Percent Change from 2018 Average Score |
2019 Percent Change from Baseline |
| 28. How does your agency use Secondary Crash performance data to influence your TIM operations? |
1.94 |
4.9 |
-12.2 |
| 42. For incidents involving a fatality, is there a procedure for the removal of the deceased prior to Medical Examiner arrival? |
2.43 |
-12.3 |
-4.0 |
| 13. What percentage (estimated) of TIM responders in the region identified as needing training have received the 4-hour SHRP 2 TIM Responder Training (in-person or via web-based training), or equivalent? |
2.78 |
6.5 |
-1.4 |
| 44. Is there a procedure in place for removal of abandoned vehicles? |
3.45 |
0.3 |
-0.6 |
| 24. How does your agency use ICT performance data to influence your TIM operations? |
2.20 |
2.8 |
-0.5 |
TIM = Traffic Incident Management. SHRP2 = second Strategic Highway Research Program. ICT = Incident Clearance Time.
Lastly, there are six questions in the 2019 TIM CM SA where over 90 percent of respondents scored the question 3 or higher, indicating success (table 15). These are program areas where success has been institutionalized, and represent questions that potentially could be removed in future iterations of the TIM CM SA.
Table 15. Program areas of success as indicated by 90 percent or more scoring each question 3 or higher.
| Question |
2019 Average Score |
Percent of TIM CM SA Scoring 3 or Higher |
| 51. Are TIM stakeholders aware of and actively utilizing TMC/TOC resources to coordinate incident detection, notification and response? |
3.53 |
94.7 |
| 40. Does at least one responding agency have the authority to override the decision to utilize the responsible party's Hazmat contractor and call in other resources? |
3.40 |
91.5 |
| 39. Is there a policy in place that clearly identifies reportable types and quantities, and appropriate Hazmat response? |
3.30 |
91.5 |
| 34. Do TIM responders routinely utilize the Incident Command System (ICS), specifically Unified Command (UC), while on scene? |
3.24 |
90.4 |
| 6. Are the TIM response roles and responsibilities of public and private sector TIM stakeholders mutually understood? |
3.23 |
90.4 |
| 52. What TIM data (i.e., number of involved vehicles, number of lanes blocked, length of queue, etc.) is captured via TMC's and/or public safety computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems and is it shared with other disciplines for real-time operational purposes? |
3.14 |
90.4 |
