Longer arrival times in third quarter
Wednesday 16 November 2016 (updated 20 December)
In the third quarter of 2016, arrival times for IM recovery operators were longer than in any other quarter since the start of 2013. The quarter was also hallmarked by record-breaking congestion levels. The National Central Reporting Point (LCM) of Stichting IMN received 22,850 incident reports on the trunk road network, making this the busiest quarter ever, with 12% more reports than in the same period in 2015.

An accident on the Wippolderweg (N211) below Wateringen (photograph: District8)
18,047 IM recoveries were recorded in Stichting IMN's Arrival time system Incident Management (AIM) during the third quarter. The average arrival time for these incidents was 14:20 minutes, a full thirty seconds longer than in the previous quarter. The last time a higher average arrival time was measured was in the first quarter of 2013. Even following a correction for delays as a consequence of congestion, arrival times were longer than in previous periods.
Whether this rise is a one-off consequence of busy roads, or is more structural in character will only be revealed over the coming quarters. Over the past few years, coverage of the IM network has become less finely meshed, with the number of recovery operators falling from 93 to just 63, since the start of 2013. Not all of the dispatch locations that were lost as a result have been replaced by new locations run by the companies taking over the districts in question.

Single vehicle accident on the Provincial trunk road (N214) in the Krimpenerwaard (photograph: Barendregt)
The months of July, August and September saw an end to the rise in the number of accidents that has been recorded consistently over the past few years. In the third quarter, IM recovery companies dealt with 5,538 accidents, 3% fewer than in the same period in 2015. This was the first significant fall in this figure since 2012. Viewed in the longer term, the number of car accidents on IM roads has also started to stagnate. The progressive twelve-monthly total amounted to 24,692 at the end of October, just below the peak of 24,717 that was reached at the end of August.
The longer arrival times did not apply to the whole country. In 44 districts, more than 95% of recoveries generated arrival times within the 20-minute standard for daytime and 25 minutes at night. In 15 districts, recovery operators completed all recoveries within the standard time. An overview of these districts appears in the table below.
District | Recovery company |
---|---|
D58 | Koolen Garage en Bergingsbedrijf![]() |
D59 | Koolen Garage en Bergingsbedrijf |
F09 | BCF Mobiliteit |
F17 | BCF Mobiliteit |
G32 | Takel- en Bergingsbedrijf Poort |
G35 | Collewijn & Zn.![]() |
G38 | Garagebedrijf H. Fruitema![]() |
GL235 | Kraanbedrijf W. Stouwdam |
GL236 | Kraanbedrijf W. Stouwdam![]() |
GL237 | Kraanbedrijf W. Stouwdam |
GL239 | Delta Berging & Transport |
GL241 | Delta Berging & Transport |
GL245 | Wolves Autoberging |
GL254 | ASG Lichtenvoorde![]() |
GL268 | Autohulpdienst Ben Heiltjes![]() |
L359 | Autosleepbedrijf Sprankenis![]() |
L363 | Wolves Autoberging |
L364 | Wolves Autoberging |
NB299 | Van Egeraat Berging en Transport |
NB314 | Autobedrijf J. Paijmans![]() |
NB316 | Autobedrijf J. Paijmans |
NB330 | Autohulpdienst Ben Heiltjes![]() |
NB336 | Autosleepbedrijf Sprankenis |
NB337 | Autosleepbedrijf Sprankenis![]() |
NB339 | Van Egeraat Berging en Transport![]() |
NH113 | Haulo Berging |
NH114 | Haulo Berging![]() |
NH116 | Aad Renses Automobielbedrijven |
NH123 | Schoenmaker en zn B.V.![]() |
NH131 | Bergnet |
O72 | Wolves Autoberging |
O85 | Autoberging Twente![]() |
O87 | Vorgers Autoberging |
U211 | Auto Kuzee![]() |
Z285 | Auto Kuzee |
Z287 | Van Hoek |
ZH157 | Autoberging De Haan |
ZH162 | Autoberging De Haan |
ZH166 | Takel-, Berging- en Transportbedrijf A. Barendregt |
ZH169 | H. Roos Autoberging |
ZH173 | Takel-, Berging- en Transportbedrijf A. Barendregt |
ZH175 | Takel-, Berging- en Transportbedrijf A. Barendregt |
ZH177 | Takel-, Berging- en Transportbedrijf A. Barendregt |
ZH178 | Automobielbedrijf Kooijman Vianen |
No rights may be derived from this overview.