STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE
GOVERNOR

EUGENE A. CONTI, JR.

SECRETARY

Release: Immediate Contact: Communications Office, (919) 733-2522 Release No.:

Date: (Insert date) Distribution: Statewide

NCDOT EXPANDS MOTORIST ASSISTANCE PATROLS TO CONNECT RALEIGH AND CHARLOTTE RALEIGH Travelers driving between the South Carolina State Line, outside of Charlotte, and Raleigh can now be assisted if they become stranded at any mile along the way. The N.C. Department of Transportations Incident Management Assistance Patrol, or IMAP, added new patrols along Interstates 40 and 85. On I-85, IMAP now patrols through Davidson, Randolph, and Rowan counties. The new patrols close the gap between the patrols in Charlotte and those in Raleigh, Regional Engineer Jeron Monroe said. Currently, IMAP patrols the routes weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. NCDOT aims to have weekend patrols along the new routes by September. Federally funded IMAP was started in 1991 in Charlotte. IMAPs main goal is to maintain efficient traffic flow. We know that every minute a stalled car sits in a travel lane it creates at least four minutes of traffic back up, said Brian Purvis, NCDOTs state incident management engineer. IMAP can direct traffic while officers are tending to accidents. Drivers also can move disabled cars out of traffic lanes. And for stranded motorists not involved in an accident, trucks have gasoline, vehicle jacks, jumper cables, and other tools to get them safely back on the road. For any services an IMAP truck cant provide, drivers know the facilities around their routes. If motorists need to find a gas station, a restaurant, or a hotel, an IMAP driver can, and will, assist them. Charles Perdue, a former law enforcement officer, has been with IMAP for six months. He says his job gives him a sense of satisfaction because he knows that at the end of the day he has made a difference. It makes you feel good to help these people, he remarked. Though his job brings much satisfaction, it brings much danger. If you step 18 inches back, youre in the path of an oncoming vehicle, he stated. But despite the dangers of it, Perdue loves his job. It gives a sense of accomplishment every day, Perdue said. Though IMAP drivers do respond to emergencies, calling 911 will not dispatch an IMAP driver to a motorists specific location. Instead, any stranded motorists should call the North Carolina Highway Patrol at *HP (*47), and the patrol will dispatch IMAP if needed. Motorists in a lane next to an IMAP truck should move over at least one lane as ordered by state law.

IMAP plans to keep expanding its services. In the meantime, drivers can travel along many North Carolina interstates and know that if they need them, their highway heroes are there. (Editors note: More information on IMAP and its services is available on IMAPs information page. Also, photos of IMAP trucks are available on the NCDOT Flickr page.) ***NCDOT***