Hoosier Helper is an Indiana Department of Transportation sponsored roving
freeway service patrol, providing free assistance to motorists stranded on
portions of Interstate 80-94 and Interstate 65 in Northwest Indiana, which
started on August 30, 1991. This paper presents a detailed evaluation of th
e Hoosier Helper freeway service patrol. Specifically, the study results wi
ll include a benefit-cost ratio for each of two distinct Hoosier Helper ope
rating scenarios: Daytime patrol and 24-h patrol. The calculation of agency
cost concerns an aggregation of equivalent annual investment cost, employe
e salaries and benefits, overhead cost, and maintenance cost for Hoosier He
lper. The following components comprise the estimation of Hoosier Helper be
nefit: Nonrecurrent congestion delay savings, secondary crash reduction, an
d vehicle operating cost savings. The study yielded a 4.71:1 benefit-cost r
atio for the daytime program operation and a 13.28:1 benefit-cost ratio for
the 24-h program operation. The increase in benefit-cost ratio magnitude,
brought about by Hoosier Helper's change to 24-h operation, clearly support
s the program's operating strategy as it exists today.