Incident response team: New sponsorship with State Farm allows ADOT patrol team to clear crashes

PHOENIX - The incident response unit isn't necessarily a new concept for the Arizona Department of Transportation -- the first was dispatched in October 2019.

Since then, ADOT has been able to assist in over 4,000 crashes.

"To reduce crashes is what we're really trying to do, so if there's a lane that's blocked by a vehicle or debris, we can quickly respond and get that out of there," said Mark Brown of ADOT.

ADOT is unveiling its new sponsorship with State Farm. The insurance corporation is funding ADOT with 14 additional incident response units, helping to continue to improve safety conditions on the roads.

The new units are loaded with roadside safety equipment. Crews can now be more visible and recognizable on the roads, improving safety for drivers and first responders.

"OIne is the visibility of the truck and its reflective striping and coverage on there so that they'll be more visible and be safer," Brown said. "The other is the message boards -- they can be seen from farther away, so as someone is approaching an incident, we can either have the arrows to move them to the side or some type of a message up there that something is going on ahead of them."

This also allows ADOT patrol crews to help the Arizona Department of Public Safety move accidents away from busy travel lanes to avoid traffic buildups.

"Having them out there on the roadways and able to respond quickly will really be able to help our troopers focus on safety at the scene," DPS Lt. Colonel Jenna Mitchell said.

A total of 14 incident response units will roll out onto Valley freeways by April.