A new look

Tuesday, 8 April 2025
On 1 April, Stichting IMN started using a completely redesigned version of the Incident Management Response Time system ("AIM"). The system registers a response time for each and every IM recovery operation. It also displays a map with real-time and historic data on incidents and the movements of the recovery vehicles deployed. The new AIM was built by Webuildapps in Alkmaar. The building and commissioning process was overseen by Wim Moens of Stichting IMN.

Wim Moens demonstrates the new AIM at the Webuildapps office on 7 April 2025

Speed is of the essence when dealing with incidents on the primary road network. Incidents mean potential danger for other road users and, more to the point, may cause tailbacks. So it's important to remove the vehicles involved in an incident as quickly as possible. The recovery operator called out must respond rapidly. The new AIM replaces a system made by Geodan and brought into use precisely 18 years ago, on 1 April 2007. In the years that followed, the system evolved into the cornerstone of Stichting IMN's quality-control policy.

If an IM recovery operator was unable to guarantee the required response times, this could have resulted in termination of the contract for vehicle recoveries. Since 2019, response times have also had a role to play in the tender procedure for these contracts. Recovery operators that offer rapid response times can negotiate higher rates. The times logged by the system have contributed to the very quick response times that are now the norm. On average, recovery operators in the Netherlands need around 12 minutes to respond to incidents - whether during the day or at night - 160,000 times a year. If we remove delays due to congestion, that average response time falls to 10.30 minutes. Nowhere else in Europe do recovery operators perform to this level.

Julian de Lange of Webuildapps

A range of IM recovery operators have helped test and optimise the new AIM over the past few months. The system is similar to its predecessor, although numerous improvements have been made in many areas. The process of monitoring historic recoveries over time has been streamlined. It is easier to locate incidents and vehicles on the map. The map is more detailed and the data is more secure. Later this month, apps will be published that will make the AIM fully accessible for smart phone use.

Something that many recovery operators have requested is real-time insight into the actual response times. Currently, recovery operators have to wait until the end of a quarter before they can see whether they have met all requirements. Stichting IMN will make a module available later this year that lets operators keep track of their aggregate performance. The figures will be provisional. But they will give operators the chance to take action if, over the course of a quarter, it seems that the standard response time might not be achieved.