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New crash pilot programs change the way police respond to crashes

On Behalf of | Feb 12, 2020 | Motor Vehicle Accidents |

A new crash response program in New York went through a trial program in Staten Island in 2018. Interestingly, though the program changed police response methods to only going to vehicular accidents involving personal injuries, many people were not happy with the change.

The New York Police Department call the program a success, but motorists don’t always agree. Why? If the police don’t go to the scene of a crash with property damage, people might not call tow trucks or could try to drive away with their cars in poor shape. Without a police report, crashes can become cases of conflicting information and false claims. That makes everything harder on insurance agencies, who have to try to decide on who’s telling the truth and come up with a settlement.

Officers still believe that the new program is better because it helps them prioritize human lives instead of crashes with property damage. They received training to provide support with emergency medical aid and to help keep personal property safe after a crash with injuries. Once paramedics reach the scene, the officers switch to supervising scene clearance, investigating and directing traffic. This helps the traffic flow get restored quickly and improves safety for anyone at the scene of the crash, too.

Pilot programs like this one might not always be perfect, but they are becoming more common throughout the United States. Fortunately, if you are in a crash that involves injuries, the police should be with you shortly thanks to the new program and its goal to improve response times to collisions with personal injuries.

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