About Scout

Motorist Assist - Your Help on the Road in Kansas City

 

MoDOT Motorist Assist

Motorist Assist and Emergency Response patrol some of the busiest interstates in and around the Kansas City metropolitan area offering assistance to disabled motorists, searching for lane obstructions be it stalled vehicles in traffic lanes, on the shoulder, car accidents or debris in the roadway. Motorist Assist operators also provide support to law enforcement, emergency responders and other emergency agencies in the form of traffic control and back up for incidents on the area interstates. Their goals are to minimize major disruption of freeway traffic flow, to focus on the factors that create disruption in the flow and remove those factors, to relieve congestion and maintain a consistent flow of traffic during an incident and to reduce clearance time for incidents, all to offer Kansas City area motorists a smoother, safer commute. In Missouri, Motorist Assist program is a division of Kansas City Scout and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Motorist Assist – How It All Began

The Motorist Assist Program was initiated in response to the need to reduce congestion created by nonrecurring incidents (ie accidents or stalled vehicles) and to address the call to make roadways as safe and hazard free as possible for the traveling public. Motorist Assist began training its operators in 1992 and actually launched the program in 1993 with four trucks and eight operators patrolling 24 miles of Kansas City interstates.

The program was much more successful than ever imaged and has grown to nine Motorist Assist trucks, 2 Emergency Response trucks, 2 Supervisor units and 1 Incident Management Response unit. There are a total of 18 operators, including 2 shift supervisors, 1 Motorist Assist Operations Supervisor. The operators and supervisors now cover over 105 miles of Kansas City interstates. In 2007, the Motorist Assist program developed even further to include a robust Incident Management Program. Rusty James, a retired law enforcement officer with more than 25 years of traffic and accident management experience was hired as Incident Management Coordinator and the MA program head.

Motorist Assist Units patrol the major Missouri interstates and highways, which are divided into 5 coverage areas called zones, operators patrol these zones Monday through Friday from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with limited coverage on holidays. Additionally you can look for signs posted along the highways that designate Motorist Assist routes:

• Zone 1 coverage runs on US 71 Highway from 155th St to Bannister Road, I-435 from State Line Rd to Bannister Road and I-470 from the Three Trails Crossing east to US 50 Highway.
• Zone 2 coverage begins on I-435 from Bannister Road north to I-35.
• Zone 3 coverage begins at Front St. and goes north across the Paseo Bridge on the I-29/I-35 corridor up to Tiffany Springs Parkway on I-29 and up I-35 to Missouri State Route 152.
• Zone 4 covers from the State Line on I-35 and I-70 on the Lewis and Clark Viaduct west into downtown loop, I-670 on the south side of the downtown loop and east on I-70 out to the Blue Ridge Cutoff.
• Zone 5 coverage begins on I-70 at the Blue Ridge Cutoff and goes east out to Adams Dairy Parkway and on I-470 south/west to US 50 Highway .

Motorist Assist units constantly patrol the zones and stop to check on vehicles that appear to be in trouble. They also receive aid from Scout Traffic System operators who monitor cameras on the freeways also looking for stranded motorists, lane blockage or debris in the roadway. If you experience car trouble and don’t have a cell phone, don’t worry help will arrive soon, the usual response time is about 20 minutes.

Emergency Response

Seven days a week Emergency Response is staffed, with availability on holidays, Emergency Response takes on the major vehicle accidents, obstructions and clean-ups on the interstates and highways. Unlike Motorist Assist, Emergency Response has no zones or specific coverage areas, they can be called out as needed anywhere within the metropolitan Kansas City area as well as the rural surrounding areas. They too assist law enforcement, fire departments and other emergency agencies in clearing accident sites, emergency roadway cleaning, debris clearing, pothole patching and many other functions to maintain the safety of the roadway during the off peak hours.

Incident Management Program

In 2007 Kansas City Scout created a robust Incident Management program to work hand in hand with the Motorist Assist program. Incident management is the process of coordinating resources of different partnering agencies and private sector companies to identify, respond to, and clear traffic incidents as quickly as possible while protecting the safety of on-scene responders and the traveling public. For every minute a freeway lane is blocked during the peak period, at least a 10 minute backup will result after the incident is cleared. This statistic highlights incident management’s importance as a vital factor in the battle to combat congestion, to improve public safety and to advance the overall quality of the commuting experience. Since the inception of the Incident Management program, Scout and Motorist Assist has seen a 30% reduction in the amount of time it takes for an incident to clear. The creation of the Incident Management program along with Motorist Assist has played a tremendous role in helping the environment, saving fuel, money, time and most importantly lives of motorists traveling on Kansas City area interstates.

Motorist Assist offers the following services:

• Change flat tires
• Jump start weak batteries
• Provide fuel, coolant, etc
• Provide road and travel information
• Provide transportation to safer areas
• Provide courtesy use of telephone

Motorist Assist trucks have the following equipment:

• Several bags of floor dry
• Emergency Lighting with Arrow board for traffic control
• Reflective cones
• Jumper cables
• Cell phone
• First aid kits
• Floor jack for flat tires
• Fire extinguisher
• Air compressor
• Gasoline
• Water
• Flares
• Push-bumpers
• Assorted tools for minor mechanical repairs.

What to do if you break down

Pull your vehicle as far onto the right shoulder if possible if not get the vehicle as far out of the lanes of traffic as you can. Make sure you display your emergency flashers or a distress sign if you have one. Be aware of your surroundings and do not step out of the vehicle into a lane of traffic. Remain calm and know that assistance is available. Do not get out of your vehicle it is safer to stay inside the vehicle. Stay with your vehicle, MA can not help if you are not with your vehicle when they arrive. If you have a cell phone call *55 to reach Missouri Highway Patrol who will contact Kansas City Scout or Motorist Assist to send help your way. Do not attempt to change a flat in or near a lane of traffic. It is better to ruin a tire or rim than to risk being struck by another vehicle.

If you are involved in an accident and your vehicle is drivable, move your vehicle over to the right shoulder out of the lanes of traffic, then call *55 for help. Stay in your vehicle, this will provide the safest situation while you await help and It’s The Law.

Tips to Avoid a Breakdown

The Motorist Assist program is here to help you however we would like to provide you with easy tips to avoid the inconvenience of experiencing a break down. These tips if practiced can keep you running smoothly:

• Regularly check your fuel levels, especially gasoline low gas levels are hard on electric fuel pumps
• Check your windshield wipers
• Make sure your tires are properly inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure, make sure you always have a spare tire
• Maintain hoses and belts

Questions and Answers on Motorist Assist:

1. Is a Motorist Assist operator a law enforcement officer?
No, a MA operator is not a law enforcement officer, however they are able to assist law enforcement officers at the scene of an incident.

2. How do I know the person assisting me is an official Motorist Assist operator?
Motorist Assist operators wear brightly colored uniforms to help distinguish them as MoDOT personnel, the uniforms are marked with the MoDOT logo and Missouri State Seal emblem, additionally they drive clearly marked trucks that say Motorist Assist, the trucks also display the MoDOT and Scout logos.

3. Will a Motorist Assist unit ever pass me if I am stranded on the highway?
The primary responsibility of Motorist Assist is to relieve congestion and assist law enforcement with traffic control for all incidents blocking lanes of traffic, if they are in route to a major incident, they may pass a stranded motorist.

4. Can I give them a tip for helping me?br /> No a Motorist Assist operator is a state employee and is paid by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

5. Can a Motorist Assist operator tow me to the nearest service station or exit?
No, the Motorist Assist program is not a wrecker service and does not tow vehicles. The can use a push bumper and push your vehicle out of a lane of traffic to the shoulder.

Motorist assist operators are friendly, helpful and courteous they strive to provide assistance when needed and excellent customer service to all they assist. They carry comment cards that are provided on all assist, the comments have been extremely positive and the program continues to be a huge success.

Kansas Motorist Assist

Motorist Assist and Emergency Response patrol some of the busiest interstates in and around the Kansas City metropolitan area offering assistance to disabled motorists, searching for lane obstructions be it stalled vehicles in traffic lanes, on the shoulder, car accidents or debris in the roadway. Motorist Assist operators also provide support to law enforcement, emergency responders and other emergency agencies in the form of traffic control and back up for incidents on the area interstates. Their goals are to minimize major disruption of freeway traffic flow, to focus on the factors that create disruption in the flow and remove those factors, to relieve congestion and maintain a consistent flow of traffic during an incident and to reduce clearance time for incidents, all to offer Kansas City area motorists a smoother, safer commute. In Kansas, the Motorist Assist program is a division of the Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas City Scout and the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Staffing of the Kansas Motorist Assist program is provided by civilian members of the Kansas Highway Patrol. Each vehicle is equipped with a four-way wrench and jack for changing tires, jumper cables, gasoline cans and numerous other tools.

Motorist Assist Technicians assist traffic flow by removing disable and abandoned vehicles from the roadway in addition to the following responsibilities:

• Protect and assist stranded motorist.
• Assist KDOT and local law enforcement agencies in preventing incidents that endanger motorists and disrupt normal traffic flow.
• Free road troopers to perform duties requiring law enforcement powers.

It is important that you maintain your vehicle in top operation condition at all times to help prevent unexpected breakdowns and other incidents on the highway. Other helpful tips include:

• Park your vehicle as far off the traveled portion of the roadway as possible.
• Turn on the four-way emergency flashers (hazard lights).
• Stay in your vehicle until help arrives, especially at night or in inclement weather.
• If someone stops, partially open your window and ask them to call police for assistance.
• Notify the Kansas Highway Patrol or local law enforcement agency of the location and circumstance if you must leave your vehicle along the highway.

If you experience mechanical or other difficulties while traveling and you have a cellular phone, call *47 to reach the Kansas Highway Patrol Central Communications Center or call *KTA to reach the Kansas Turnpike Authority dispatchers.