MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Stuck in traffic, backed up for miles all a result of a bad wreck on the highway.
It's an unnerving reality for drivers in the Mid-South, but it could soon come to an end. A new plan to drastically cut down the time it takes to clear roads after a car crash is under consideration by TDOT.
A two-vehicle crash in the Berclair area brought traffic at Stratford and McCrory to a near standstill and fueled drivers' frustrations.
“Everywhere you go there's an accident. Sometimes police won't move the cars for 15 or 20 or 30 minutes,” said driver Salah Alqirm.
“This is not bad but on the interstate, yeah, it gets pretty bad,” said Leia Crum.
That's why TDOT and the Department of Safety are putting a new plan in place to clear up highway accidents as soon as possible. The goal is to clear roads after major accidents in 90 minutes, and clear minor accidents in less than thirty minutes.
To get it done, they'll need fast responses from wrecker services.
“As you can tell [this car] is hit really hard and this would be a good example of one that might take a while,” Deborah Thweatt said, referencing a wrecked Honda Accord.
Thweatt works at Bartlett Towing Service, a contractor with Tennessee Highway Patrol. If you see drivers stranded on an interstate after a crash, chances are one of her trucks is coming.
“Time is always of the essence when it's a police call. If traffic gets backed up there's the risk of another accident happening and so safety and time is always important,” Thweatt said.
Also important are communications between different responders, reassessment of accidents every half hour and making sure drivers stuck in traffic are in the loop.
Meantime in Berclair, more than an hour passed before tow trucks cleared the wrecked vehicles.
“It's frustrating but I'd rather say a prayer for whoever was in the accident,” said one woman stuck in traffic.
And drivers may want to add a prayer for patience.
