Making roadside work safer for tow truck operators
Official title: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Tow Truck Operator Safety
Funded at University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa · NIH-11195497 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Trying practical ways to prevent drivers from hitting tow truck workers by looking at what tow operators and passing drivers do on the roadside.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tuscaloosa, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2024 |
| Project end | September 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $487,364 |
| NIH project number | 5R01OH012695-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11195497 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are tow truck operators, towing company staff, and nearby drivers or law-enforcement personnel who encounter roadside towing situations.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not work roadside or whose jobs do not involve operating or interacting with tow trucks are unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You may be asked to share your experiences, take part in short interviews, or allow researchers to observe roadside calls to learn how incidents happen. The team will combine observations of traffic and road conditions with conversations about laws, enforcement, and worker behaviors to find common risk patterns. They will use that information to design and try practical fixes such as improved signage, training, or traffic-control changes. The goal is to create straightforward steps that tow operators, employers, and authorities can use to reduce struck-by injuries.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reduce injuries and deaths among tow truck workers and make roadside work safer.
How similar studies have gone: Some roadway-safety measures have lowered roadside injuries in other worker groups, but tailored, tested solutions specifically for tow operators are relatively limited.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Jun — University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa
- Study coordinator: Liu, Jun
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.