WHEREAS, highway crashes and incidents in North Carolina cause major congestion, secondary crashes, and impact commuter and business traffic; and
WHEREAS, these incidents and additional challenges on roadways necessitate a coordinated multi-agency response, referred to in the public safety and transportation professions as Traffic Incident Management (TIM); and
WHEREAS, TIM stakeholders include law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, transportation agencies, towing and recovery, emergency management, hazardous materials responders, medical examiners, traffic media, freight haulers, and the traveling public; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina responders have trained 38,181 TIM responders as of April 24, 2023; and
WHEREAS, TIM efforts clear incidents more efficiently, improving safety for all while also keeping goods, services, and the traveling public moving throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, the safety of all, including the traveling public and response personnel at incident scenes, is of paramount concern;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim November 13 – 17, 2023, as “CRASH RESPONDER SAFETY WEEK” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.