Compendium of Research and Evaluations in Traffic Safety Published

NHTSA · 1996 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This document serves as a promotional summary and overview of the "Compendium of Traffic Safety Research Projects: A Decade and Beyond," published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in May 1996. The primary purpose of the text is to inform stakeholders about the scope and findings of behavioral research and evaluations sponsored by NHTSA’s Office of Program Development and Evaluation (OPDE) over the preceding ten years. The compendium addresses the need for accessible information regarding the effectiveness of various traffic safety countermeasures, laws, and enforcement strategies aimed at reducing crashes and injuries. The OPDE conducts research focused on human attitudes, behaviors, and failures related to motor vehicle crashes, specifically targeting drivers, passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. The research methodology encompasses basic problem identification to measure the importance of crash-causing behaviors, laboratory and field studies to refine countermeasures, and large-scale evaluations to assess the impact of public information, legislation, and enforcement. The compendium itself is an annotated bibliography categorizing nearly 200 projects into eight main topic areas: Alcohol-Impaired Driving, Drug-Impaired Driving, Novice and Young Drivers, Occupant Protection, Older Drivers, Pedestrians and Bicyclists, Public Information and Education Programs, and Speed and Unsafe Driving Actions. The text highlights specific findings from two representative studies included in the compendium to demonstrate the utility of the research. First, a study on administrative license revocation in Nevada found that a public information campaign emphasizing strict enforcement led to increased awareness of sanctions, reduced self-reported drinking-driving behavior, and a 12 percent drop in alcohol-related crashes during the study period. Second, an evaluation of California’s shift from secondary to primary seat belt enforcement in 1993 showed that seat belt usage in six study communities increased from 58 percent to 76 percent. Additionally, police officers reported satisfaction with the change and noted no negative public reactions. The significance of this compendium lies in its role as a resource for enhancing the effectiveness of police traffic services, community safety programs, driver licensing agencies, and public interest groups. By documenting the real-world impact of specific countermeasures and laws, the research supports evidence-based policy decisions. The document provides contact information for ordering individual reports and accessing further NHTSA publications, facilitating the dissemination of traffic safety knowledge to practitioners and policymakers.

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Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• regulatory evaluation
• seat belt use
• driver education effectiveness
• dui enforcement
• 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