Maybe you’re used to seeing it on your TV screens or on the LED signs over the highways, or maybe you just saw it for the first time the other day and now you’re wondering – what does a city-wide accident alert really mean? As collision repair experts, we see this alert a lot, and we do field our fair share of questions on this. Truthfully, it depends. There are a few things that could cause it, but here are the basics of what you should know and when you might want to keep an eye out for the notification.
What You Need to Know About Accident Alert
When an Accident Alert is in effect, the volume of calls regarding crashes and automobile accidents is often so high that police cannot respond to all of them. The reasons for this volume may be a result of a number of different things, but when an Accident Alert is declared, there must be the following things in place to warrant police presence at the scene of a crash:
- Damaged vehicles are causing the street to be closed
- Fatality or injuries requiring immediate medical attention are present
- Impaired driving (drug or alcohol-related) played a part in the accident
- Any drivers fail to remain on scene
- Any drivers do not have a valid license
- Damage to public property
- Involvement of on-duty City personnel
Because of the volume of accidents expected when an Accident Alert is issued, only the most pressing and critical ones can be addressed with the limited police resources available. So, now we know what the police will respond to during an Accident Alert. But what causes an accident alert?
Severe Weather
Severe weather is the number one reason for this alert to be issued. This time of year, when the snowfall hits record amounts and the winter weather is often in short, severe bursts, Accident Alerts are the most common. Winter weather creates hazardous road conditions more quickly than most other types of weather. However, it’s not uncommon to see this alert in the spring, summer, or fall when flash flooding becomes an issue.
Community Emergency
Outside of severe weather, other community emergencies may spawn an Accident Alert as well. This may include city-wide traffic light outages, broken water mains, avalanches in the mountain roads, or other similar issues. If the community is facing an emergency (especially if the mayor declares a city-wide emergency), expect an Accident Alert to be in place as well.
Be Cautious
When an Accident Alert is in effect, it’s important to exercise greater caution than normal while driving. Not only because police resources are limited, but because the likelihood of an influx of accidents means a greater likelihood that you may encounter an accident or two in your driving. Encountering accidents can increase the likelihood of getting involved in one yourself if you’re not careful to avoid curiosity slow-downs or don’t give yourself enough time to get out of the path of the accident. For that reason, exercising extreme caution on the roads during an Accident Alert is incredibly important.
If you find yourself caught up in the influx during an Accident Alert, give us a call. We’ll help get you back on the road as quickly as possible without sacrificing the quality of auto body repair.
Great content and informative that everyone can follow through it. It’s best to always drive safely.