North Dakota Statewide Traffic Safety Survey, 2010 : Issue Brief, August 2010

NHTSA · 2010 · ROSA P / Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute

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Summary

This issue brief presents findings from the 2010 North Dakota Statewide Traffic Safety Survey, conducted by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Transportation. The study addresses the persistent issue of preventable traffic deaths and injuries in the United States, which lag behind other industrialized nations despite progress in fatality reduction. The research aims to gather data on driver behaviors and attitudes regarding impaired driving, seat belt use, speeding, and distracted driving to inform policy and education efforts. The methodology involved a mail survey distributed to 7,000 North Dakota drivers over age 18, yielding 2,100 valid responses. The survey design was based on Minimum Performance Measures developed by the Governors Highway Safety Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The sampling allowed for analysis by age and region, with a specific focus on young male drivers (ages 18–35), identified as a high-risk group. Key findings reveal significant gaps between self-reported behavior and official statistics. Only 58% of drivers reported "always" wearing seat belts, substantially lower than the 81.5% observed in statewide observational surveys. Among those who drink, 44% reported driving within two hours of consumption in the past two months, with over 10% doing so at least four times in 60 days. Speeding was less prevalent, with only 5% and 6% of drivers reporting high levels of speeding in 30 mph and 65 mph zones, respectively. Distracted driving data showed that 11% of drivers always or nearly always talk on mobile phones while driving, while 3% do so for texting. The survey also highlighted demographic disparities and policy preferences. Young male drivers were twice as likely to speed on 65 mph roads and twice as likely to rarely or never wear seat belts compared to other drivers. They were also 28% more likely to drive after drinking and less supportive of stricter laws. Conversely, 70% of all drivers supported tougher penalties for driving under the influence and primary seat belt laws, while only 37% supported increased speeding fines. Regarding teen licensing, less than 1% of drivers supported current standards, with a majority favoring increased classroom and supervised driving requirements. Travel data indicated that drivers aged 35–44 traveled the most, with 56% exceeding 10,000 miles annually, while usage declined sharply for drivers over 65. These results provide critical data for developing targeted traffic safety policies and educational programs in North Dakota.

Key finding

Only 58% of North Dakota drivers reported always wearing a seat belt, and 44% of drinkers had driven within two hours of drinking in the past two months.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 2100

Provenance

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Topics

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

• sex gender
• exposure measurement
• incidence prevalence
• novice drivers
• seat belt use
• 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: policy recommendations
• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence
• Methodological Resource: dataset resource