CARS-911 is an additional software component that broadens the reach of CARS (Condition Acquisition and Reporting System) to include the incident reporting and response activities of the TMC (traffic management center) and of related public and private sector agencies at the state, local, and national levels, including police, secondary responders, telematics service providers (TSP), and other agencies involved in emergency management. In most states, information-sharing between DOT and these other agencies already takes place, through both formal and informal arrangements. Such exchanges typically occur by means of phone calls, faxes, emails, and even face to face communication.

The Mayday component of the CARS-911 module was initiated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT). Through a partnership with GM OnStar, incident information is shared between the OnStar call centers and Mn CARS and other CARS member states.

In many states, the CARS user base is diverse, comprising not only TMC operators but also State Patrol, transit, public affairs, and other related departments and agencies. In the Minnesota Mayday integration, outreach efforts to the Mayo Clinic are underway to bring the CARS GUI to their dispatchers. As Mayday reports are input into the Minnesota State Hub, Mayo Clinic dispatchers will see the accidents plotted on the state map, alongside weather conditions, nearby construction projects, and slow traffic and other reports in the surrounding areas.

Once in CARS, accident reports typically appear on state 511 systems, on the state web sites, and within Low-Power FM / AM-HAR broadcasts. Accidents input into CARS from OnStar can also be used to trigger appropriate variable speed limits and DMS messages and to train nearby cameras automatically on potential trouble spots. Taking full advantage of these various features requires that related CARS-DMS, VSL, and/or CCTV modules are also deployed.

The purpose of the CARS-911 Mayday integration is twofold. First, facilitating the sharing of incident information between OnStar, DOT, Mayo Clinic, and other related agencies paves the way for better coordination of response activities stemming from an incident. This will help to bring more timely accident reports to the responding agencies that need to know about them.

Second, because traveler information systems are tied to CARS, DOTs benefit from an increased breadth and quality of information on their traveler information channels, without the additional burden of data entry. Simultaneously, the other agencies gain because they are relieved from the duties of providing incident reports to the public through their own means.

For more information on MN Mayday, please contact: