Nashville, Tennessee --- The Tennessee Departments of Transportation (TDOT) and Safety (TDOS) have reaffirmed their commitment to the quick clearance of highway incidents while maintaining the safety of all motorists on the roadways.

TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely and TDOS Commissioner Fred Phillips signed a memorandum of understanding today that helps fulfill the mission of both departments to keep traffic moving in a safe and efficient manner. The agreement provides guidelines on how to address issues including response, clearance, communication and training procedures. Additionally, the agreement focuses on clearing highway incidents from controlled-access roadways.

"With the amount of traffic in Tennessee increasing daily, the number of incidents occurring on the highways is impacting travel," said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. "The agreement provides the foundation for TDOT and Safety to jointly address the behavioral and environmental aspects that will help alleviate - in the safest manner possible - the congestion and closures that result from various incidents."

"Increasing the safety of motorists, first responders and transportation personnel when responding to an incident on the highway is our primary concern," said TDOS Commissioner Fred Phillips. "With closer coordination and cooperative planning, we hope to not only speed the clearance of incidents, but to prevent them from occurring."

First executed in 2001, the highway clearance agreement has helped to coordinate the incident-clearance efforts of Tennessee Highway Patrol Troopers and transportation officials. The new agreement builds on the previous efforts and incorporates a number of recommendations from the "Strategic Plan for Highway Incident Management" and the 511 initiatives.

*A copy of the actual agreement can be found on the TDOT web site in the media room at www.tn.gov/tdot.

The Tennessee Department of Safety's mission is (www.tn.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.