FAYETTEVILLE – Help will soon be on the
way for stranded motorists along Interstate 95 in North Carolina.
The N.C. Department of Transportation is expanding its popular
State Farm Safety Patrol service for the first time to a large swath of I-95,
starting Friday, March 16. The patrols will primarily cover Robeson, Cumberland,
Harnett and Johnston counties, but the safety trucks will respond to major
incidents anywhere along I-95.
The primary purpose of the patrols is to clear stalled vehicles
that are slowing down traffic or pose a hazard on the highways. The safety
patrol trucks have lighted arrow boards, warning lights and supplies to quickly
aid stranded drivers. Last year, the patrols responded to more than 55,000
incidents across the state.
NCDOT employees operate the trucks, offering such services as
changing flat tires, jump-starting batteries and providing some gas for
motorists in a pinch. The patrols also assist in vehicle crashes and pick up
roadside debris. There is no charge to the public for this service.
“I am delighted that we are able to expand this important roadside
service to parts of I-95 to assist the traveling public and to help keep this
busy highway safer when a vehicle breaks down,” said Terry Hutchens, a
Fayetteville resident who serves on the state’s Transportation Board.
Stranded drivers need only dial *HP (or *47) on their mobile phones
to summon the service. For I-95, the drivers will operate seven days a week from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Two trucks will patrol Monday through Thursday – a figure that
will double on the weekend due to heavier traffic volumes.
The service – which is sometimes referred to as the department’s Incident
Management Assistance Patrol (IMAP) program – already covers certain
highways around Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte, among other
areas of the state. State Farm became a co-sponsor of the program after the
General Assembly in 2014 required NCDOT to study how to offset some of its costs
borne by the taxpayers.
“This service underscores the continued commitment State Farm has
to auto safety while helping people recover from the unexpected, which is the
heart of the State Farm mission,” said Ed Gold, State Farm advertising
director.
Motorists can learn more at this State Farm website. State Farm helps
sponsor safety patrols in several other states, too.