Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, Eighth Edition, 2015

Goodwin, Arthur H.; Thomas, Libby; Kirley, Bevan; Hall, William; O'Brien, Natalie P.; Hill, Kate · 2015 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

**Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, Eighth Edition, 2015** serves as a comprehensive reference tool designed to assist State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) in selecting effective, evidence-based strategies to address major traffic safety problems. Published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and prepared by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, the guide focuses exclusively on behavioral countermeasures that SHSOs can implement using traditional highway safety grant programs. It excludes vehicle- or roadway-based solutions, administrative management topics, and countermeasures already universally mandated, such as .08 g/dL blood alcohol concentration laws. The guide organizes its content into nine specific problem areas: alcohol- and drug-impaired driving; seat belts and child restraints; speeding and speed management; distracted and drowsy driving; motorcycle safety; young drivers; older drivers; pedestrians; and bicyclists. For each area, the text provides an overview of the problem’s scope, followed by detailed summaries of specific countermeasures. These summaries evaluate strategies based on four key metrics: effectiveness, cost, frequency of use, and implementation time. The authors rely on published research through May 2014 and data from the 2013 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Effectiveness ratings are primarily derived from demonstrated reductions in crashes, though behavioral and knowledge changes are considered when crash data is unavailable. The guide emphasizes that effectiveness varies by implementation quality, noting that reported data likely represents maximum potential effects under high-quality execution. Key findings highlight the persistent nature of impaired driving, which accounted for 31% of motor vehicle fatalities in 2013, totaling 10,076 deaths. While alcohol-impaired driving fatalities declined from 1982 to the mid-1990s due to legislation and demographic shifts, they plateaued between 1992 and 2007 before declining again post-2008. The guide notes that while public perception of drinking and driving is overwhelmingly negative, prevalence remains significant, with 12.4% of weekend night drivers showing positive blood alcohol concentrations in 2007. Regarding drug-impaired driving, the text identifies a research gap, noting that while roadside surveys detect drugs in 10–11% of nighttime drivers, establishing causal links to impairment is difficult due to detection windows and varying drug effects. The guide categorizes countermeasures into deterrence (laws, enforcement, prosecution), prevention, communications, and treatment, providing specific examples such as administrative license revocation, sobriety checkpoints, and graduated driver licensing. The significance of this publication lies in its role as a standardized, science-based resource for state-level policy and program planning. By synthesizing complex research into accessible summaries, it enables SHSOs to prioritize interventions with proven efficacy, thereby optimizing the use of limited safety funding. The guide also acknowledges the subjective nature of summarizing conflicting data and invites user feedback for future editions, indicating a commitment to evolving alongside new research. It serves as a critical bridge between academic traffic safety research and practical application, ensuring that state offices can adopt strategies that have demonstrated success in reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities across diverse jurisdictions.

Key finding

The guide provides a structured summary of behavioral countermeasures and their effectiveness for nine major highway safety problem areas to assist State Highway Safety Offices in selecting evidence-based interventions.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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Topics

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• driver education effectiveness
• regulatory evaluation
• dui enforcement
• seat belt use
• public messaging
• automated enforcement cameras

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation, policy recommendations
• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence