Tim Bracken, wtop.com

As the New Year approaches, we continue to take a look at some Inner Scoop posts that you may have missed. This article profiles one of the integral elements of the traffic center, WTOP Traffic Spotters.

Have you seen either of the two WTOP Traffic Spotter vehicles? One is blue, the other yellow. Both have lots of WTOP signage and big yellow light bars on top. Our mobile reporters are out on the roads through every rush hour, helping to paint a clear picture of what’s happening on the roads from the driver’s perspective.

If they’re reporting on something big, like emergency construction or a long-term accident investigation, they’ll often stay on the scene in order to provide updated information for the next traffic report. You might even hear a Traffic Spotter go live on the air to give a report.

Sometimes a mobile reporter will find a new incident that hasn’t been reported to anyone. Reporter Mary DePompa explains one early morning encounter:

“There was a [disabled] car coming out of the 3rd Street Tunnel…cars were whipping by.”

It was still dark, so she turned the light bar on so other drivers would be able to see the hazard. Mary was able to stay there until DDOT arrived to assist. She even gave the stranded driver one of the safety vests to wear while they waited.

This morning provided another great example of that helpful spirit. We had a report of a crash in the merge to the westbound SE/SW Freeway from the 14th Street Bridge HOV lanes. It’s a really tough spot for a crash to occur, since there is only one lane that merges into the freeway from the HOV. Mary was able to spot the crash, stop in front of it, and turn on the flashing lights.

At the time, DDOT crews were busy clearing other incidents, so Mary kept the lights flashing until they made it to the scene. ”It feels like you are doing something helpful,” Mary says. “We’re public servants.”

Follow @wtoptraffic for the latest updates.