Lewisville police have implemented a new policy to keep roadways clear that will get drivers to work faster.
Police said Interstate 35E in Lewisville has the third-highest rate of car crashes of any highway segment in North Texas. Drivers have to deal with standstill, rush-hour traffic nearly every day.
That plan will clear up highways after a crash in 15 minutes. The police chief is allowing officers to use their patrol cars to move damaged cars off the roadway in order to open up lanes.
In addition to trying and clear wrecks within 15 minutes after arriving on scene, police are changing their policy of allowing cars to sit abandoned and unattended on the shoulder for 48 hours before ordering a tow truck.
Under the new policy, drivers have just 30 minutes to order a tow truck if their vehicle is disabled following a wreck. Similarly, if police encounter an abandoned car on the side of the highway, officers will try to contact the registered owner but will only wait 30 minutes before calling a tow truck.
Police said this new policy will clear lanes up faster and allow drivers to get to work on time.
Lewisville police said its new policies keep with "best practices" contained in the federal Freeway Incident Management program and endorsed by the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
