Countermeasures That Work, Seventh Edition [Traffic Tech]
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Summary
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published the seventh edition of *Countermeasures That Work* in April 2013 to assist State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) in selecting effective, evidence-based strategies for traffic safety. This guide serves as a reference tool for addressing nine specific problem areas: alcohol-impaired and drugged driving; seat belts and child restraints; aggressive driving and speeding; distracted and drowsy driving; motorcycle safety; young drivers; older drivers; pedestrians; and bicycles. The publication focuses exclusively on behavioral countermeasures supported by traditional highway safety grant programs, explicitly excluding vehicle- and roadway-based solutions, administrative management topics, and countermeasures already universally implemented, such as .08 grams per deciliter blood alcohol concentration laws. The guide was prepared by the University of North Carolina’s Highway Safety Research Center and includes research and data reviewed through May 31, 2012, with updates from NHTSA’s *Traffic Safety Facts 2010*. Each chapter provides an overview of the problem area’s size and characteristics, followed by tables summarizing specific countermeasures’ effectiveness, cost, use, and implementation time. Detailed discussions of each countermeasure are provided, accompanied by references to key studies and research summaries. Effectiveness is rated on a one-to-five-star scale, primarily based on demonstrated reductions in crashes, though behavioral and knowledge changes are considered when crash data is unavailable. The authors note that effectiveness ratings likely represent maximum potential effects achieved through high-quality implementation, as results can vary significantly by location. This edition introduces several new countermeasures, including alcohol vendor compliance checks and Minimum Drinking Age–21 law enforcement; strengthening child/youth occupant restraint laws; cell phone and text messaging enforcement; pedestrian gap acceptance training; and bicycle safety education for commuters alongside bicyclist passing laws. The depth of coverage varies by topic due to the availability of published research; for instance, impaired driving has a robust research history, whereas distracted and drowsy driving have less extensive study records. The guide does not attempt to list all available research but provides links to summaries and key studies to facilitate further investigation. The significance of this publication lies in its role as a starting point for SHSOs to identify strategies with proven effectiveness or promise, thereby benefiting from collective knowledge and evaluation experiences. By focusing on behavioral interventions with documented evidence, the guide helps states prioritize resources effectively. The authors encourage states implementing innovative programs to evaluate and publish their findings to contribute to the broader knowledge pool. Beginning with this edition, the guide is published biennially rather than annually, ensuring that SHSOs have access to updated, scientifically valid information to support their traffic safety initiatives.
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-15 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-15; verification: verified.
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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: crash risk outcomes