Make Your Plans to Commemorate Crash Responder Safety Week

November 5, 2024

This year, Crash Responder Safety Week (CRSW) takes place November 18-22 with the important message, “Responders Ahead! Reduce Your Speed as You Proceed.” Every year, law enforcement, fire and rescue, EMS, public works, transportation, towing, and other responders put their lives at risk to clear the 7 million motor vehicle crashes as well as the broader range of roadway incidents such as stalled vehicles or roadway debris. Responders are the first on the scene, protecting every road user, and they deserve to be the first on drivers’ minds to be kept safe.

Yet, nearly every week a traffic incident responder is struck and killed while working to keep our roadways safe. Many more responders sustain life-altering injuries. When a traffic incident responder is struck, it affects not just their family and friends, but also their fellow responders and the public with fewer heroes and response vehicles to support broader community needs.

CRSW, initiated by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2016, is our opportunity to positively shift driver behavior, encourage adherence to Move Over laws, and to promote life-saving National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training for all traffic incident responders. In cooperation with the National CRSW Committee, the FHWA provides a CRSW Toolkit with useful templates and resources to help align national, state, and local outreach messaging for CRSW. Every organization and individual can take part in CRSW.

National, state, and local organizations can become a CRSW Ally in Action. Share the steps your organization is taking to promote CRSW and improve the safety of traffic incident responders.
Traffic incident responders can:

  • Take the free, four-hour National TIM Responder training available online through the National Highway Institute or in person through each State’s TIM Coordinators. Over 730,000 responders have completed this training to date, but far more have yet to do so.
  • Attend the National Kickoff Webinar for CRSW taking place on November 18 at 1pm ET.
  • Share on social media during CRSW what it’s like to work roadway incidents and what you would like your neighbor drivers to know. Be sure to use hashtag #CRSW.

Every road user, whether a driver or a passenger, can:

  • Learn, share, and follow your state’s Slow Down, Move Over law. Reduce your speed as you proceed past all roadway incidents, and if safe, move over a lane to give responders space to work.
  • Share on social media when a traffic incident responder came to the rescue and your appreciation for their efforts. Be sure to use hashtag #CRSW and tag us.

Please lend your voice to promoting Crash Responder Safety Week 2024, for the safety of our responders and all road users. Find more resources for roadway response safety here.