What is Motorist Assist?

Motorist Assist and Emergency Response patrol some of the busiest interstates in and around the Kansas City metropolitan area offering assistance to disabled motorists, searching for lane obstructions be it stalled vehicles in traffic lanes, on the shoulder, car accidents or debris in the roadway.

Motorist Assist operators also provide support to law enforcement, emergency responders and other emergency agencies in the form of traffic control and back up for incidents on the area interstates.

Their goals are to minimize major disruption of freeway traffic flow, to focus on the factors that create disruption in the flow and remove those factors, to relieve congestion and maintain a consistent flow of traffic during an incident and to reduce clearance time for incidents, all to offer Kansas City area motorists a smoother, safer commute.

In Missouri, Motorist Assist program is a division of Kansas City Scout and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

What are the patrol areas?

Motorist Assist Units patrol the major Missouri interstates and highways, which are divided into 5 coverage areas called zones, operators patrol these zones Monday through Friday from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with limited coverage on holidays. Additionally you can look for signs posted along the highways that designate Motorist Assist routes:

• Zone 1 coverage runs on US 71 Highway from 155th St to Bannister Road, I-435 from State Line Rd to Bannister Road and I-470 from the Three Trails Crossing east to US 50 Highway.
• Zone 2 coverage begins on I-435 from Bannister Road north to I-35.
• Zone 3 coverage begins at Front St. and goes north across the Paseo Bridge on the I-29/I-35 corridor up to Tiffany Springs Parkway on I-29 and up I-35 to Missouri State Route 152.
• Zone 4 covers from the State Line on I-35 and I-70 on the Lewis and Clark Viaduct west into downtown loop, I-670 on the south side of the downtown loop and east on I-70 out to the Blue Ridge Cutoff.
• Zone 5 coverage begins on I-70 at the Blue Ridge Cutoff and goes east out to Adams Dairy Parkway and on I-470 south/west to US 50 Highway .

Motorist Assist units constantly patrol the zones and stop to check on vehicles that appear to be in trouble.

If you experience car trouble and don’t have a cell phone, don’t worry help will arrive soon, the usual response time is about 20 minutes.

What are Motorist Assist's Services?

Motorist Assist offers the following services:

• Change flat tires
• Jump start weak batteries
• Provide fuel, coolant, etc
• Provide road and travel information
• Provide transportation to safer areas
• Provide courtesy use of telephone

Motorist Assist trucks have the following equipment:

• Several bags of floor dry
• Emergency Lighting with Arrow board for traffic control
• Reflective cones
• Jumper cables
• Cell phone
• First aid kits
• Floor jack for flat tires
• Fire extinguisher
• Air compressor
• Gasoline
• Water
• Flares
• Push-bumpers
• Assorted tools for minor mechanical repairs.