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The Colorado Department of Transportation is deploying neon-green Ford Super Duty crash protection trucks at roadside emergencies, beginning on I-25, I-225 and I-70 around Denver. The trucks use illuminated arrows to direct traffic and rear-mounted attenuators to absorb impact if a vehicle hits them; CDOT says one truck was struck at a crash scene on Oct. 10, protecting responders there.
Colorado’s transportation department is deploying neon-green Ford Super Duty trucks on highways around Denver to help protect emergency workers at roadside scenes. The trucks use rear-facing illuminated arrows to tell approaching drivers to move over and impact-absorbing attenuators to reduce the danger if a vehicle crashes into them.
The Colorado Department of Transportation, or CDOT, is starting with Interstate 25, Interstate 225 and Interstate 70 in the Denver area, according to a local news report cited by The Drive. The report says the trucks are intended to shield first responders working beside the road and help prevent secondary crashes involving vehicles stopped at emergency scenes. CDOT plans to deploy them in other parts of the state after the initial rollout, though a schedule was not provided.
The trucks’ bright green livery is intended to make them conspicuous, while illuminated arrows at the rear signal drivers to move over. If a vehicle still strikes the truck, its rear-mounted attenuator is designed to absorb some of the impact. Similar devices are used behind roadwork operations to help protect crews and reduce the force of a collision with a support vehicle.
CDOT executive director Shoshana Lew told reporters that a driver struck one of the trucks on Oct. 10 while approaching a crash scene. Lew said the truck “worked exactly how it was designed and protected our first responders tending to the scene.” The account supplied for this report does not identify the exact location or provide details about injuries or vehicle damage.
A Buffer Between Traffic and Responders
Emergency crews often work beside moving traffic, where a driver who fails to slow down or move over can create another collision while responders are already managing an incident. The trucks add a physical barrier between traffic and the work area, rather than relying only on flashing emergency lights or drivers noticing personnel on the shoulder.
The Oct. 10 collision illustrates the intended role of the equipment: according to Lew, the truck absorbed the encounter and protected responders at the scene. That report does not establish how often the trucks will be hit or how much risk they will reduce overall. Still, a vehicle designed to take an impact could limit the danger to people working immediately ahead of it, including responders assisting people after a crash.
The approach also depends on motorists reacting to the warning signals and the truck being positioned appropriately. The attenuator is an additional protective measure, not a guarantee that a collision will cause no injuries or damage. Drivers should follow move-over requirements and approach emergency scenes cautiously, even when a crash truck is present.
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From Work Zones to Crash Scenes
Road crews have long used attenuator-equipped vehicles to provide a buffer during work such as roadside mowing or when a construction zone is being set up. The devices are mounted at the rear of a vehicle and are built to absorb impact in a collision. Colorado’s program applies that kind of protective equipment to emergency response scenes, where crews may be working beside live traffic.
Drivers may also encounter public-service messages and roadside signs asking them to slow down in work zones. The trucks add a prominent visual warning at the scene itself: a high-visibility vehicle with arrows directing traffic away from responders. The supplied report describes the initial deployment as focused on three Denver-area interstates, with broader statewide use planned later.
“The trucks are being deployed to protect first responders at roadside emergency sites and reduce secondary crashes.”
— The Drive, summarizing a local news report
Rollout and Collision Details
The available report does not say how many crash protection trucks CDOT has, which specific emergency calls will receive them, or when they will reach areas outside the Denver metro region. It also does not provide a statewide deployment timetable or explain how the trucks will be assigned among highways and response agencies.
Details of the Oct. 10 collision remain limited in the supplied material. It does not specify where the crash occurred, how fast the striking vehicle was traveling, whether anyone was injured, or the extent of damage to the truck. CDOT’s account, through Lew, is that the truck protected responders; no broader evaluation of the program’s safety effects is provided.
Expansion Beyond Denver
CDOT’s stated next step is to move the trucks beyond the initial coverage of I-25, I-225 and I-70 around Denver and deploy them in other parts of Colorado. The department has not provided a timeline, locations for the next phase, or a count of the vehicles involved in the rollout.
Further details could clarify how the trucks are dispatched and whether CDOT will publish collision or response data to measure their effect. For now, the confirmed information is that deployment is underway in the Denver area and that CDOT’s director cited one collision in which a truck was struck while responders were at a crash scene.
Key Questions
What are Colorado’s crash protection trucks?
They are high-visibility Ford Super Duty trucks equipped with rear-facing illuminated arrows and impact-absorbing attenuators. CDOT is deploying them to help protect responders at roadside emergencies.
Where are the trucks being deployed first?
The initial deployment is on I-25, I-225 and I-70 around Denver, according to the local report cited by The Drive. The supplied information does not give a schedule for other regions.
How does an attenuator help?
An attenuator is a rear-mounted device designed to absorb impact if a vehicle hits the truck. It is intended to reduce collision forces, but it does not make a crash harmless or remove the need for drivers to slow down and move over.
Has one of the trucks already been hit?
Yes. CDOT executive director Shoshana Lew told reporters that a driver struck one of the trucks on Oct. 10 while approaching a crash scene. Lew said the truck protected responders; the supplied report does not include further details about injuries or damage.
Source: thedrive.com
