State Farm sponsorship boosts ADOT’s Incident Response Unit

Three months after launching, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Incident Response Unit has offered assistance nearly 4,000 times on Valley freeways, helping boost safety by getting traffic moving sooner after crashes.

A new sponsorship by State Farm is helping the 14-member Incident Response Unit continue this important work, which ranges from setting up traffic control to moving vehicles involved in minor crashes to removing debris – even changing a flat tire here and there.

By improving traffic flow after crashes, the Incident Response Unit sponsored by State Farm reduces the potential for secondary crashes, which often are more destructive than the initial crash, while helping motorists get where they need to be. This work helps free Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers to concentrate on investigations and respond to other situations on Phoenix-area freeways.

“Protecting public safety is the No. 1 responsibility of government, and the numbers to date show the Incident Response Unit is doing just that,” Governor Doug Ducey said. “Through this new and innovative sponsorship, State Farm is making the Arizona a better and safer place while helping ADOT to put more dollars toward other transportation priorities.”

In the coming weeks, Valley drivers will see ADOT Incident Response Unit vehicles wrapped with State Farm branding as part of this sponsorship.

“Our support of the Arizona Department of Transportation Incident Response Unit program embodies our ‘good neighbor’ philosophy,” said Matthew Coleman, State Farm marketing director. “It also underscores the continued commitment State Farm has to auto safety, while helping people recover from the unexpected, which is the heart of the State Farm mission.”

About 250 motor vehicle collisions occur each day in Maricopa County, most of them requiring a response from law enforcement, fire departments, transportation crews or tow trucks.

“Our troopers are seeing a difference on Valley freeways thanks to the Incident Response Unit sponsored by State Farm,” said Col. Frank Milstead, director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety. “When troopers are able to focus on their primary role at the scene of crashes, it allows them to better serve the public.”

The Incident Response Unit sponsored by State Farm patrols Phoenix-area freeways from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, ready to assist state troopers and public. In addition to providing support at crash scenes, units may be called upon to assist stranded motorists. In December, they responded to more than 1,400 incidents.

“Every minute counts after a crash,” said Alberto Gutier, director of the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “When a crash is minor, getting vehicles off the highway and restoring traffic flow quickly translates into improved safety for all.”

State Farm sponsors similar patrol units in 20 other states, helping departments of transportation use limited transportation funding for other priorities.

“This kind of sponsorship is growing in use among states as an innovative way to launch transportation initiatives,” said Karla Petty, Arizona administrator for the Federal Highway Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. “While new to Arizona, State Farm’s sponsorship for a critical safety role like the Incident Response Unit builds on a record of success elsewhere.”