|
Full throttle
Thursday 19 January 2023 (update 31 january 2023)
IM recovery operators carried out more than 177,000 recoveries in 2022. That was 15% up on 2021; a record number. The number of breakdown removals rose to above 100,000 for the first time. That was 14% more than last year and more than three times as many as in 2015. There was also a record for the number of security callouts. IM recovery operators were called out nearly 7,000 times to provide security for their own work and operations. That was 32% up on the 2021 figure.
Gerjo Sprankenis conducted his last IM recovery operation on 30 November 2022 (photo credit: Solange Fotografie)
The number of accidents increased, too, but remained some way under the record levels recorded in 2017 and 2019. In those years, recovery operators dealt with more than 27,000 accidents on IM roads. In 2022 that figure was 23,948, up 16% on 2021. This relatively low number was largely attributable to the effect of the Covid restrictions at the start of the year. In January and February, the number of accidents was around 1,700 per month. In November and December, that figure had climbed to almost 2,700.
IM callouts in 2022
| Callout type | 2022 | 2021 | Groei |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accident | 23.896 | 20.641 | 16% |
| Breakdown removal | 106.847 | 94.171 | 13% |
| Security | 6.779 | 5.173 | 31% |
| Unattended vehicle | 3.067 | 2.700 | 14% |
| Wasted tri | 36.497 | 30.652 | 19% |
| Main road network | 153.139 | 132.917 | 15% |
| Underlying road network | 23.947 | 20.420 | 17% |
| Police | 5.523 | 10.893 | -49% |
| RWS | 129.267 | 110.560 | 17% |
| ANWB/Control centre | 35.867 | 26.607 | 35% |
| EDO/Flitsmeister | 6.429 | 5.277 | 22% |
| Total | 177.086 | 153.337 | 15% |
The role of the police control rooms as a source of incident reports on IM roads continued to decline. The police were the source of over 5,000 such reports, half the number that were reported in 2021. In contrast, all the other bodies reporting incidents saw the numbers increase. The ANWB called Stichting IMN's national response centre (LCM) almost 36,000 times last year. That was 35% up on the 2021 figure.
On 28 December, Lisa Horenberg receives the first LCM incident report at the VHD (photo credit: FotoGrietje)
Just before the end of the year, Gerjo Sprankenis decided to call time on his work as an IM recovery operator. Autosleepbedrijf Sprankenis was one of the quickest IM recovery operators in the country year in, year out. Gerjo carried out his last IM recovery on 30 November, at 21:10, beside the Zuid-Willemsvaart at Someren (219421-IM). The company's operations were transferred to Van Eijck Mobility on 1 December.
IM callouts from 2010 up to and including 2022
On 28 December, the VHD took charge of the operation of the LCM. The telephone numbers of the LCM were switched over at 12:02. The first incident report arrived 52 seconds later: an accident on the A20 in the vicinity of Kralingse Plas (L22300001).