Evaluation of the Washington State Target Zero Teams Project

Thomas, F. Dennis; Blomberg, Richard D.; Masten, Scott; Cicchino, Jessica; Tippetts, Scott; Korbelak, Kristopher T.; Fell, James C.; Lacey, John · 2015 · ROSA P / Dunlap and Associates, Inc.

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Summary

This report evaluates the effectiveness of Washington State’s Target Zero Teams (TZT) project, a high-visibility enforcement initiative designed to reduce traffic fatalities by targeting nighttime impaired driving. The program was motivated by the state’s "Target Zero" strategic plan, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2030, and the legislative ban on sobriety checkpoints in Washington, which necessitated alternative enforcement strategies like saturation patrols. Building on the success of the pilot Night Emphasis Enforcement Team (NEET) in Snohomish County, the TZT program deployed dedicated Washington State Patrol detachments in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, supplemented by overtime funding for local law enforcement. The study aimed to assess the program’s impact on DUI enforcement productivity, crash rates, alcohol involvement in fatal crashes, public awareness, and cost-effectiveness. The evaluation utilized a quasi-experimental design comparing the three intervention counties against three comparison counties (Clark, Spokane, and Yakima) that lacked formal TZT activities. Researchers analyzed data from multiple sources, including Washington State Patrol trooper activity logs, local law enforcement grant reports, Administrative Office of the Courts records, statewide crash data, driver blood alcohol concentration (BAC) databases, and public awareness surveys. Statistical analyses, including ARIMA time-series modeling, were employed to account for pre-existing trends in crash and arrest data. The study period covered the TZT operational timeframe from July 2010 to July 2012. Results indicated that TZT significantly increased DUI enforcement productivity. Troopers in TZT detachments had substantially higher rates of contacts resulting in DUI arrests (9.78% to 15.38%) compared to non-TZT troopers (1.61% to 2.02%) and those in comparison counties. Countywide DUI arrests increased notably, with Pierce County seeing a 47.21% net increase. These enforcement gains correlated with safety improvements: total crashes decreased by 7.1% in King and 7.0% in Pierce counties, while nighttime crashes dropped by 3.8% and 8.7%, respectively. Snohomish County showed limited additional crash reductions, likely due to prior gains from the NEET pilot. Furthermore, TZT counties experienced a 24.8% relative reduction in driver alcohol involvement (BAC ≥ .01) in fatal crashes and a 22.4% relative reduction for high-BAC drivers (≥ .15) compared to comparison sites. The study concluded that TZT was highly cost-effective, estimating that the program saved 11 lives, resulting in a benefit-to-cost ratio of 8.12:1 based on conservative fatality cost estimates. While public awareness of the specific TZT branding remained low, self-reported data suggested a reduction in drinking and driving behaviors in intervention areas. The findings demonstrate that dedicated, high-visibility saturation patrols can effectively increase DUI enforcement and reduce alcohol-related crashes and fatalities in states where checkpoints are prohibited, supporting the continuation and potential expansion of such programs.

Key finding

The TZT program increased DUI enforcement productivity and led to significant reductions in total and nighttime crashes in King and Pierce counties, with an estimated 11 alcohol-involved fatalities avoided.

Methodology

field_study

Provenance

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Topics

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• dui enforcement
• regulatory evaluation
• driver education effectiveness
• incidence prevalence

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence