Enlisting Health Departments in Highway Safety Programs

Trinkoff, Alison M.; Teret, Stephen P.; Rattiner, Jacqueline L.; Baker, Susan P. · 1983 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This 1983 report, commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and conducted by researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, addresses the underutilization of state health departments in motor vehicle injury prevention. Despite the significant public health impact of traffic injuries, health agencies historically viewed highway safety as outside their purview. The study aims to document existing cooperative efforts between state highway safety and health agencies, identify barriers to collaboration, and encourage expanded interagency cooperation to improve injury control outcomes. The methodology involved interviewing personnel from 36 states, categorized into four groups of nine states each to ensure geographic diversity. The first three groups focused on highway safety personnel regarding specific content areas: (1) occupant restraints and child passenger protection, (2) motorcycle helmet laws and emergency medical services (EMS), and (3) alcohol prevention and the 55 mph speed limit. The fourth group interviewed health department personnel regarding their injury prevention programs. Additionally, one state from each group underwent an in-depth, on-site study to explore specific cooperative efforts in detail. The findings reveal varying degrees of cooperation across different safety domains. In occupant restraint programs, health departments frequently assisted with legislative lobbying, such as in Tennessee and Massachusetts, and managed child restraint loaner programs through local clinics and hospitals. Health agencies also contributed to public education by disseminating materials through pediatricians and nurses. Regarding motorcycle helmet laws, health departments provided critical data on health care costs and injury severity, which highway safety agencies used to advocate for mandatory helmet legislation, as seen in Florida and Pennsylvania. In the realm of EMS, cooperation was most robust, with health departments often leading training for EMTs and paramedics, maintaining equipment, and collecting vital data on response times and trauma types. However, the report notes that priorities often diverged between the two agencies, and barriers such as lack of awareness or perceived jurisdictional boundaries limited broader collaboration. The significance of this report lies in its demonstration that health departments possess unique resources—such as clinical networks, data collection capabilities, and legislative influence—that are essential for effective highway safety programs. By highlighting successful models of cooperation, the study argues that integrating health agencies into highway safety initiatives can enhance the implementation of injury control techniques, such as restraint usage and helmet laws. The authors conclude that overcoming perceived barriers and aligning priorities between these agencies is crucial for reducing the substantial toll of motor vehicle injuries on public health and the economy.

Key finding

Health departments contribute to highway safety through legislative support, data provision, and community education, yet interagency cooperation remains inconsistent due to differing priorities and perceived barriers.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 36

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

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• incidence prevalence