UFTI Research Results in New Road Safety Patrols

Previous research (Project # BDV26-977-02) completed in 2016 by the University of Florida Transportation Institute and FDOT created a decision support system (DSS) for managers who must decide if a roadway “warrants” the addition of a Safety Service Patrol (SSP). A computer tool was developed to facilitate the input of critical information about roadway segments necessary for the analysis. The UFTI researchers involved on this project were Dr. Yafeng Yin, and Dr. Siva Srinivasan, Enforcement Engineering, Inc. principal and UF alumnus Dr. Grady Carrick, and graduate students Khajonsak Jermprapai and Xiaotong Sun.A new program with ten Road Rangers was rolled-out to start service in Brevard County, Fla., in April 2019, complementing recent expansions near Gainesville and Lake City. Florida’s Road Rangers patrol freeways assisting motorists and responding to traffic incidents where they work with police, fire, EMS, and transportation agencies to mitigate the incident impacts. The UF project also surveyed the Road Rangers to identify safety aspects of their job. Coupled with analysis of more than 200 Road Rangers crashes, the project identified opportunities to make improvements to operations, equipment and training. This lead to a subsequent study by Dr. Carrick that designed new uniforms that are worn by road rangers statewide.