Which of the following is considered a common traffic incident?

• A. Traffic delays caused by weather
• B. Traffic crashes, disabled vehicles, spilled cargo, highway maintenance
• C. Routine road painting
• D. Parade detours

Answer: (B)

A traffic incident is any event on the roadway that disrupts safety or normal traffic flow and requires a response from responders or traffic management. The option that lists traffic crashes, disabled vehicles, spilled cargo, and highway maintenance fits this idea best because these are common on-road events that create hazards, block lanes, or slow traffic and thus trigger incident-management actions. Crashes and disabled vehicles are unplanned emergencies, spills create hazardous conditions and require cleanup, and maintenance that blocks lanes can become an incident when it impacts traffic operations.

Routine road painting is planned work and not an on-scene incident. Parade detours are planned events that temporarily alter routes. Weather-related delays are caused by conditions and may influence traffic, but they aren’t themselves discrete on-scene incidents requiring the typical incident-management response.