Crash Tag

About the project

The Iowa DOT collaborating with participating enforcement agencies to have responding officers tag damaged infrastructure (traffic barriers, lighting features, signs, and fences) along the primary road system right of way. These tags allow the Iowa DOT to tie crash information to damage and link to our claims system making the transfer of information easier to manage.

How does it work?

Partner agencies carry a crash tag kit  which includes:

• Weather proof pink tags
• Sharpies
• Zip ties
• Gardening wire
• A vinyl bank bag
• Crash damage estimate chart

After responding to a crash on a primary road where state infrastructure is damaged, the responding officer will create a pink tag to attach to traffic barriers, lighting features, or signs that are damaged. The tags have the incident ID (where available), agency, responding officer, and date. In cases where multiple crashes occur in the same location, or a single crash damaging multiple features, multiple tags can be attached.

Our maintenance field staff will then log an inspection of the damaged item, enter the new information from the pink tags as part of that process in our existing inspection application, and then a report will be generated for our claims management staff.

Background

This is based off a project initiated by the Indiana DOT, where they have been able to recoup $7 million a year in their state as compared to $1.5 million a year before this program was deployed.

Beyond the monetary savings for the tax payers of Iowa and improved efficiency of sharing information, our safety and design teams are very interested in seeing how our traffic barriers are performing in a crash so we can make better decisions about what hardware is installed in the roadway.

Replacing kits or kit materials

Kits are available at the Iowa DOT Warehouse or DOT maintenance garages free of charge. Redirect billing charges to 5501 Function Guardrail 670. To get replacement parts contact your local maintenance garage.