Evaluation Results Summary: National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training Program

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Contact Information: Operations Feedback at OperationsFeedback@dot.gov

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Operations
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
ops.fhwa.dot.gov

March 2019
FHWA-HOP-19-032

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In 2012, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) launched the National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training Program. The TIM training program was developed by responders for responders and promotes consistent training of all responders to achieve the following three objectives.

• Responder safety,
• Safe, quick clearance, and
• Prompt, reliable, interoperable communications.

The program includes a Train-the-Trainer (TtT) course that provides participants (i.e., trainers) the knowledge and materials necessary for them to conduct TIM training for TIM responders in their area, typically through use of the four-hour version of the training. Additionally, the National Highway Institute offers a free Web-Based Training (WBT) version of the four-hour TIM training course. Additional information about the training program is available at https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/eto_tim_pse/about/tim.htm.

To assess participant learning and to capture the impacts of the training on operations, FHWA developed a suite of surveys that cover reaction, learning, behavior and results. The surveys were administered using either hard copies during training sessions or through an online tool.

Following is a summary of the survey results captured between January 2016 and August 2017.

Reaction Survey Results

Course evaluation surveys, for both TtT and responder training participants, were designed to solicit training participant feedback regarding training content and the instructor immediately following course participation.

During the 20 month assessment period, 381 TtT course evaluations and 290 responder training course evaluations were collected. Additionally, the TtT course evaluation was the only survey that was developed when the training program was originally launched in late 2012. The results of the nearly 3,700 TtT course evaluations collected between 2012 and 2017 are also included in the summary provided below.

All training participants were asked to rate if they agreed/disagreed with the following statement:

This course helped me further appreciate the responder and motorist safety element of TIM and how quick clearance also promotes safety.

Training Course Ratings

	From Train-the-Trainer session participants	From responder training session participants
Overall training and content	97.6% positive	93.2% positive
Instructor(s)/trainer(s)	99.3% positive	95.6% positive
Training materials	96.6% positive

Learning Survey Results

Prior to attending a TIM training session, participants were asked to complete the appropriate pre-test to assess their existing knowledge. Then, immediately following a training session, participants were asked to complete the appropriate post-test to assess their TIM knowledge after receiving the training. For the responder training course, there was an 81.5 percent improvement in scores pre-training to post-training, indicating the course effectively increased participants' knowledge of TIM.

	Average number of questions correct	Total number of questions	Percent correct
Train-the-trainer Course
Pre-test	12.04	20	60.2%
Post-test	33.83	40	84.6%
Percent Improvement			40.5%
Responder Training Course
Pre-test	4.28	10	42.8%
Post-test	15.54	20	77.7%
Percent Improvement			81.5%

Behavior Survey Results

Approximately three months after attending a training session, participants and their supervisors were asked to take a survey that assessed the impact the training has had on participant behavior. A total of 434 individuals, 374 participants and 59 participant supervisors, from 28 States completed this survey.

In addition to identifying changes in behavior, the survey results also highlighted areas where TIM practices were already in place prior to participation in a training session. Specifically, 62.8 percent of participants and 54.2 percent of supervisors indicated that use of high-visibility safety apparel was already implemented prior to receiving the training.

The table below summarizes responses for several key metrics in the survey.

Since receiving the training, how would you...	Training Participant	Supervisor
Describe your/your staff's overall level of safety when working at traffic incident scenes?	80.5% more safe	74.6% more safe
Describe your/your staff's awareness and efforts to minimize secondary crashes at traffic incident scenes?	86.9% more aware	72.9% more aware
Rate the sense of urgency that you personally/your staff use to quickly clear traffic incidents from the roadway?	60.3% more urgency	44.1% more urgency
Describe your/your staff's awareness and behavior when working around moving traffic and the "zero buffer"?	74.3% more aware	52.5% more aware
Describe your/your staff's safety practices when exiting your/their responder vehicle at traffic incidents?	61.7% more safe	55.9% more safe
Describe your/your staff's awareness of evidence preservation and investigative functions at traffic incident scenes?	51.8% more aware	41.1% more aware
Describe your/your staff's use of the Move It or Work It concept?	55.9% more used	47.5% more used
Describe your/your staff's use of the safe-positioning guidance provided by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices?	57.8% more used	55.9% more used
Describe your/your staff's use of Lane +1 blocking to protect incident responders who require additional lateral space for safety?	55.5% more used	39.0% more used

Results Survey Results

Six months to a year after personnel attend a TIM training session, agency administrators, senior management and/or the State or regional points of contact, were asked to complete a results survey. The TIM training results survey assessed the impact on and operational benefits realized by an agency/ organization that has sent their personnel through the TIM training. Agencies and organizations from 21 States returned a total of 55 results surveys.

Key Metrics

92.5 percent of respondents believe that overall agency operations have been improved as a result of personnel attending the TIM training.
96.3 percent of respondents believe that overall safety at traffic incidents has been improved as a result of personnel attending the TIM training.
87.0 percent of respondents believe that coordination among different agencies at traffic incident scenes has improved since the TIM training.
96.3 percent of respondents indicated that their agency/ organization has a written policy/directive requiring all personnel to wear high-visibility safety apparel when responding to incidents.
90.7 percent of respondents indicated that response vehicles are equipped with traffic cones, flares or other channelizing devices.

An additional measure of the success of the TIM training course in affecting change is the integration of the TIM policies and procedures taught as part of the curriculum into standard TIM practice. Respondents were asked to rate the degree to which they agree or disagree that the law or concept listed had been integrated into the written policies/procedures/directives followed by their agency/organization.