Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, Fourth Edition, 2009

NHTSA · 2009 · 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, Fourth Edition, 2009** addresses the need for a science-based reference tool to assist State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) in selecting effective traffic safety strategies. Published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and updated by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, the guide aims to help states identify problem areas through data analysis and implement countermeasures with proven effectiveness. The document focuses exclusively on behavioral countermeasures supported by highway safety grant programs, excluding vehicle or roadway-based solutions. It is designed to summarize the use, effectiveness, costs, and implementation time of specific strategies, drawing on published research through May 2008 and NHTSA’s 2006 Traffic Safety Facts. The guide is organized into nine chapters covering major highway safety problem areas: alcohol-impaired driving, seat belt use and child restraints, aggressive driving and speeding, distracted and fatigued driving, motorcycle safety, young drivers, older drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Each chapter provides an overview of the problem’s size and characteristics, followed by a detailed examination of specific countermeasures. For each countermeasure, the guide presents a summary table rating effectiveness, usage prevalence, cost, and implementation time, alongside a one-page discussion and key references. Effectiveness is categorized based on the quality and consistency of evaluation evidence, ranging from "demonstrated to be effective by several high-quality evaluations" to "limited or no high-quality evaluation evidence." The guide emphasizes that effectiveness varies by implementation quality and that the data presented likely reflects maximum potential effects under high-quality conditions. Key findings highlight specific effective countermeasures across various domains. In alcohol-impaired driving, administrative license revocation (ALR) and sobriety checkpoints are rated as highly effective, with ALR laws reducing crashes by an average of 13% and saving an estimated 800 lives annually. For seat belt use, primary enforcement laws and high-visibility enforcement campaigns are identified as critical strategies. Regarding young drivers, Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) systems are noted for substantially reducing crash risk, contributing to a 16% decrease in fatally injured 16-year-old drivers with positive blood alcohol concentrations between 1996 and 2005. The guide also identifies mass-media campaigns and alcohol screening interventions as effective tools for prevention and outreach. Conversely, some countermeasures, such as designated driver programs, show limited evidence of effectiveness. The significance of this guide lies in its role as a centralized, evidence-based resource for policymakers and safety professionals. By synthesizing research on behavioral countermeasures, it enables SHSOs to prioritize strategies that offer the greatest return on investment in terms of crash and injury reduction. The document underscores that successful implementation requires strong leadership, adequate funding, and coordination across law enforcement, prosecution, and adjudication systems. It serves as a practical tool for states to move beyond anecdotal approaches, encouraging the adoption of rigorously evaluated programs while acknowledging that local context and implementation fidelity significantly influence outcomes. The guide also invites user feedback to refine future editions, ensuring it remains responsive to emerging research and evolving safety challenges.

Key finding

The guide provides a structured evaluation of behavioral countermeasures across nine traffic safety domains, assessing their effectiveness, use, cost, and implementation time to assist State Highway Safety Offices in selecting evidence-based strategies.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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Topics

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