Share the Road Campaign Research Study [Tech Brief]
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Summary
This study, conducted by Abacus Technology Corporation for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), evaluates the "No-Zone Campaign," a public outreach initiative designed to educate motorists about the safety hazards associated with sharing the road with commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Motivated by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, which recognized the need for public education on CMV characteristics, the study aimed to improve the campaign by reviewing its current effectiveness, identifying similar programs, and recommending strategies for establishing a Share the Road coalition. The primary goal is to reduce fatalities, injuries, and property damage by increasing awareness of CMV limitations, such as blind spots, stopping distances, and maneuverability constraints. The research methodology involved three main tasks: reviewing federal No-Zone efforts, assessing public acceptance through focus groups, and tracking media exposure of public service announcements (PSAs). Researchers contacted highway safety leaders at 381 organizations to inventory existing materials and analyzed driver manuals from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. To gauge public reception, eight focus groups were conducted in Arizona, Georgia, and Ohio with high school students and adult drivers. Media tracking from 1994 to 1997 monitored the placement of television, radio, and print PSAs. Additionally, the study facilitated the formation of a Share the Road Coalition by convening stakeholders to discuss goals and strategies. The findings indicate that the No-Zone Campaign achieved significant reach and effectiveness. Focus group participants found the "No-Zone" terminology clear and effective in communicating dangers, helping drivers accept responsibility for their safety. Media tracking revealed substantial exposure: television PSAs received over 112 hours of free airtime, averaging 23 broadcasts per day; radio PSAs aired nearly 34,000 times, reaching approximately 63 million listeners; and print PSAs appeared in over 20,000 newspapers. However, analysis of state driver manuals showed that 33% contained no information on sharing the road with CMVs, while only 10% used the specific "No-Zone" term. Among 357 responding organizations, 20 had similar programs, though many addressed additional topics like fatigue and weather that the No-Zone Campaign did not cover. The study concludes with recommendations to expand the campaign’s management and educational strategies. It advises updating goals, recruiting outreach coordinators, and establishing management controls to track progress. Educational recommendations include expanding messages to other vehicle types, duplicating high-profile activities nationwide, and ensuring Share the Road information is included in all state driver manuals and education textbooks. The formation of the Share the Road Coalition is endorsed as a means to coordinate efforts among highway safety leaders, with near-term actions including choosing leadership, prioritizing goals, and recruiting volunteers to sustain the campaign’s momentum.
Key finding
Focus group participants found the No-Zone campaign messages highly effective and clear, while media tracking showed the campaign received over 112 hours of free television airtime and appeared in more than 20,000 newspapers between 1994 and 1997.
Methodology
mixed_methods
Sample size: 381
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (7 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 20 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence
- Methodological Resource: dataset resource