Table of Contents

7. Safety Benefits Assessment

The Safety Benefits Assessment framework for the FOT provided for the functional testing of 13 separate technology combinations across four load types. As described in Volume III, Section 1: HAZMAT FOT Overview, these technologies were designed to enable real-time communications and information exchange between drivers, dispatchers and other authorized parties; track assets; secure vehicles, loads and shipping documentation; and enable driver or automated exception alerts in response to crisis or deviations in operational characteristics outside of set parameters. The majority of technologies themselves and their usage are not specifically established to provide explicit or traditional safety benefits (i.e., reducing the frequency and severity of crashes). For example, the test technologies are not designed to warn drivers of obstacles in proximity to their vehicles, lane departure, imminent vehicle rollover conditions, or conditions signaling driver fatigue.

This notwithstanding, frequent driver/dispatcher communications allowing the dispatcher to assess the driver's condition and position tracking to assess possible driver speeding may equate to potential reductions in crashes. Additionally, a potential reduction in miles driven via tighter management of fleet operations enabled by Wireless Communications and GPS asset tracking capabilities may, be equated to reduced exposure to crashes.

The participating motor carriers and enforcement personnel have also described potential post-incident safety benefits by using several of the test technologies. Using Wireless Communications with GPS positioning, panic alert capabilities, and real-time information exchange with enforcement and response agencies can provide more immediate incident-alert notification; detect vehicle location; and identify the quantity and type of HAZMAT load on the distressed truck.

The benefits focus on the ability to more rapidly detect and respond to an incident with the most appropriate mitigating resources to a HAZMAT incident in a more timely and complete manner. Though mostly anecdotal in description, these benefits are considered realizable by HAZMAT stakeholders. It should be noted that six of the nine participating motor carriers either agree or strongly agree that the test technologies provide enhanced functionality for incident response.

The following analyses provides a high-level framework in which to assess the potential benefits of reduced crash exposure and improved response and treatment of truck-based HAZMAT incidents through the use of the test technologies.

The starting point for the analyses is a listing of relavent facts:

• Total Cost of HAZMAT truck crashes: $842 million per year.[21]
• The four load types considered in the FOT represent 67 percent of the recorded load types for trucks involved in fatal and non-fatal crashes in 2002.[22]

7.1 Motor Carrier Exposure to Crash Analysis

In terms of reduced exposure to crashes, the test participants indicated a minimum reduction in out-of-route and empty miles of 1 percent through the use of Wireless Communications and GPS positioning. Depending on industry segment, this is a conservative reduction in non-revenue miles. Assuming this reduction of 1 percent represents a 1 percent in reduction in total miles traveled by carriers hauling HAZMAT, then the benefit achievable (through full deployment) by reducing on-the-road exposure to crashes is calculated as:

$842 million per year (Total Cost of HAZMAT truck crashes) x 1% (fewer miles/less exposure) x 67% of Crashes involving the FOT Load Types
= $5 million in annual crash avoidance benefits

7.2 Enhanced HAZMAT Incidence Response Benefits

As previously discussed, rapid notification of HAZMAT incidents with details of incident location and load type and quantity to motor carriers and emergency response organizations is widely considered necessary to maximizing the effectiveness of incident response and reduce the impacts of incidents. Difficulty in quantifying the potential benefits of the test technologies (focus being on the Public Sector Reporting Center [PSRC] concept, described in greater detail in Section 9 of this synthesis document) is due to all incidents being unique with regard to the following elements:

• Severity of event.
• Whether or not HAZMAT has been released.
• HAZMAT type and quantity involved in the incident.
• Travel routes.
• Time of day.
• Level of traffic on the route.
• Existing levels of roadway surveillance, agency communications capabilities.
• Availability of response resources with close proximity.
• Overall ability to coordinate the resources.

These factors make quantifying potential benefits of more rapid or appropriate response difficult at best. In other words, "No consistent standard has been identified that can be uniformly applied to evaluate the quantifiable benefits of an effective incident management program."[23]

This notwithstanding, safety benefits described extensively in the literature and by the FOT participants that can be achieved through improved incident response and treatment (that could be enhanced by the test technologies) include:

• Increased survival rate of crash victims.
• Reduced environmental mitigation costs and potential exposure of citizens to HAZMAT releases.
• Reduced incident-related congestion and hence, reduced occurrence of secondary accidents.

Though tested on a limited basis as a "proof of concept", the PSRC concept demonstrated a maximum of 2 minutes for a panic alert to be routed to law enforcement through the PSRC. As a comparison to the status quo, the Center for Technology Commercialization's "best estimate" of average notification time for state police response to a HAZMAT spill is 20 minutes, representing an 18-minute improvement in notification time.

In terms of human life, emergency responders are well aware of the "golden hour." This refers to the chances for survival for a trauma victim being significantly greater if they receive emergency medical care within 1 hour of injury. In this context, the 18-minute decrease in notification time, assuming the driver was capable of triggering the panic alert, could potentially mean the difference between life and death for crash victims.

Additionally, the PSRC concept enables response organizations to know the location of the incident and rapidly access details on the type and quantity of HAZMAT involved in the incident to enhance response time and bring to bear appropriate mitigating resources, thus reducing the potential diliterious effects of a spill and reducing clearance time resulting in reduced congestion and potential occurance of secondary incidents.

7.3 Safety Benefits Assessment Findings

The technical performance of the technologies within the framework of the FOT demonstrated enhanced ability to monitor drivers and vehicles and provide notification of emergencies with location and load characteristics in a more timely manner and potentially detailed manner than traditional methods. Though hard evidence is scarce, qualitative opinion indicates that the technical capabilities of the test technologies, coupled with best practices in motor carrier driver/safety management and public sector incident response, show promise for enhancing the safety of truck-based HAZMAT shipments.

Through the use of proxies, potential benefits in terms of crash avoidance were estimated to be $5 million annually. No monetized benefit estimates for enhanced emergency response were developed.

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