Traffic Services Management Information Tool

The RCMP recognized that in order to meet the targets of Road Safety Vision 2010 , a tool was needed to encourage traffic members to move towards problem solving in order to align service delivery with the fatal and serious injury crash problem. The Traffic Services Information Tool (TSMIT) was developed by the RCMP in British Columbia as a means to enable the police to do just that.

In 2004 TSMIT was selected by National Traffic Services as the means to effectively manage and analyze traffic data. This newer version of TSMIT is presently being piloted in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and is based on ground information systems technology that requires mapping software and GPS units.

The implementation of TSMIT will enable users to:

• Identify the high injury, fatal areas and their associated Target Groups.
• Acquire and analyze the crash record data (What, Where, When and Why the crashes are taking place).
• Focus towards building of partnerships, education and enforcement in problem solving.
• Create accountability and facilitate problem solving to concentrate on the root causes of the crash problem based on factual data.
• Provide short and long term analysis to responses to given problems, to measure success and failures.

TSMIT can assist traffic managers in tailoring their enforcement activities to address their collision picture.

• 36% of fatal collisions at this particular unit are due to occupants being unbelted but yet only 23% of the enforcement is for occupant restraints.
• 39% of fatal collisions are occurring at intersections but less than 2% of enforcement is focused on intersections.
• 7% of fatal collisions involve speed as a contributing factor but 56% of enforcement activity is speed related.

The implication for this particular unit is it needs to develop strategies for intersection and occupant restraints enforcement/education and place less emphasis on speed related enforcement.