The Freeway Service Patrol Evaluation Project: Database Support Programs, and Accessibility

This paper discusses the Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) Evaluation Project conducted under the California PATH program. The goal of this project was to determine the cost effectiveness of the FSP program along a 10-mile "beat" on I-880, near Hayward, California. The FSP is a group of tow trucks that drive around a particular section of the freeway during peak periods and provide free assistance to motorists with breakdowns or accidents. In the study section, there were usually two tow trucks that continuously drove around a 10 to 12-mile section of freeway. The hypothesis is that, since these tow trucks are already driving on the freeway, they will respond to incidents quicker than a tow truck called by a motorist from a roadside call box or cellular phone.