HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM
GUIDELINE No. 16
DEBRIS HAZARD CONTROL AND CLEANUP

Each State in cooperation with its political subdivisions should have a program which provides for rapid, orderly, and safe removal from the roadway of wreckage, spillage, and debris resulting from motor vehicle accidents, and for otherwise reducing the likelihood of secondary and chain-reaction collisions, and conditions hazardous to the public health and safety.

1. The program should provide as a minimum that:

   1. Operational procedures are established and implemented for:

      1. Enabling rescue and salvage equipment personnel to get to the scene of accidents rapidly and to operate effectively on arrival:

         1. On heavily traveled freeways and other limited access roads;

         2. In other types of locations where wreckage or spillage of hazardous materials on or adjacent to highways endangers the public health and safety;

      2. Extricating trapped persons from wreckage with reasonable care-both to avoid injury or aggravating existing injuries;

      3. Warning approaching drivers and detouring them with reasonable care past hazardous wreckage or spillage;

      4. Safe handling of spillage or potential spillage of materials that are:

         1. Radioactive

         2. Flammable

         3. Poisonous

         4. Explosive

         5. Otherwise hazardous.

      5. Removing wreckage or spillage from roadways or otherwise causing the resumption of safe, orderly traffic flow.

   2. Adequate numbers of rescue and salvage personnel are properly trained and retained in the latest accident cleanup techniques.

   3. A communications system is provided, adequately equipped and manned, to provide coordinated effort in incident detection, and the notification, dispatch, and response of appropriate services.

2. The program should be periodically evaluated by the State, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should be provided with an evaluation summary.