Network: January 1979

NHTSA · 1979 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This document, titled "Network: January 1979," serves as a monthly newsletter for highway safety public communications professionals, published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The primary focus of this issue is the dissemination of findings from NHTSA’s annual national survey of public attitudes toward highway safety, alongside updates on related safety initiatives and resources. The survey, conducted by the market research firm Teknekron, Inc., aimed to measure existing support for key safety programs and identify strategies to increase compliance. The study involved telephone interviews with 1,500 licensed drivers aged 16 to 65 regarding four critical issues: the 55 mph speed limit, safety belts, passive restraints, and drunk driving. National results indicated strong support for the 55 mph limit, with 77% favoring its retention (55% strongly). Additionally, 73% approved of the USDOT ruling requiring passive restraints in all cars by 1984, and 70% identified reducing drunk driving as the most effective method to lower highway fatalities. However, despite recognizing the value of safety belts, respondents expressed reluctance to wear them due to inconvenience and forgetfulness. A separate survey of California drivers provided more granular data on the 55 mph limit. While 85% of Californians believed the limit reduced crashes and deaths, support fluctuated based on question wording. When asked simply to keep or change the limit, 61% favored keeping it. However, when presented with specific options to raise the limit to 60, 65, or 70 mph, only 48% chose to keep it at 55, though 71% supported a limit of 60 mph or less. The national survey also examined risk perception, revealing that drivers generally underestimate their accident risk, believing their odds of a crash are between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,000, whereas actual odds are significantly higher. Crucially, the study found no significant correlation between perceived risk and safety behaviors; drivers with high risk perception were no more likely to support the 55 mph limit, seatbelt use, or sober driving than those with low risk perception. The newsletter concludes that generalized safety appeals are ineffective. Instead, NHTSA recommends specific, concrete examples of hazards and behaviors to influence driver conduct. To support this approach, the document highlights new resources, including the "55 MPH Model Plan for Public Communications," which outlines strategies for reaching 23 distinct audiences, and a new edition of the "55 mph Fact Book." Other updates include the release of a 1979 gas mileage guide, plans for a training course for state safety communicators, and the coordination of Operation CARE, a multi-state enforcement effort targeting Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.

Key finding

Drivers with a higher perceived risk of accidents were no more likely to support safety measures like seatbelts or sober driving than those with lower risk perception.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 1500

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• public messaging

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