North Dakota Statewide Traffic Safety Survey, 2025: Traffic Safety Performance Measures for State and Federal Agencies
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Summary
This report presents the findings of the 2025 North Dakota Statewide Traffic Safety Survey, conducted by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute for the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT). The study addresses the need for reliable, longitudinal metrics to monitor driver attitudes, awareness, and self-reported behaviors regarding traffic safety. Motivated by the United States’ higher road traffic death rate compared to other developed nations, the survey aims to provide data for goal setting, resource allocation, and program evaluation. It aligns with national performance measures established by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, focusing on core issues such as impaired driving, seat belt use, and speeding, while also addressing local priorities like distracted driving and legislative changes. The methodology involved a mail survey sent to a disproportionate stratified random sample of 11,520 licensed North Dakota drivers. The sample was stratified by region (east/west) and geography (urban/rural), with oversampling of drivers aged 18–34 to ensure robust analysis of high-risk groups. Due to an initial mailing error, a second mailing was conducted, resulting in 1,643 valid responses, yielding a 14.2% response rate. Post-stratification weighting was applied to adjust for demographic skews, ensuring the results accurately reflected the statewide driver population. The survey instrument included core questions on impaired driving, seat belts, and speeding, alongside additional questions on distraction, designated drivers, and exposure to safety messaging. Key findings indicate that North Dakota drivers are increasingly adopting safe practices, though significant risks remain. Self-reported driving after consuming one to two alcoholic drinks within two hours of driving declined to 34.0% in 2025, down from 40.0% in 2024. Similarly, driving after three or more drinks dropped to 4.9% from 6.1%. Seat belt use remained high, with 81.8% of drivers reporting they always wear seat belts, though this represents a slight decrease from 85.8% in 2024. Perceptions of enforcement varied; 68.3% of drivers believed arrest for impaired driving was likely, compared to 49.5% for speeding and 37.1% for seat belt violations. Notably, drivers who admitted to driving after drinking were significantly less likely to perceive a risk of being ticketed for speeding or not wearing a seat belt, suggesting a correlation between risky behaviors. Additionally, 73.4% of respondents favored a ban on handheld phone use, and 66.6% reported positively changing their behavior in highway safety corridors. The significance of this study lies in its provision of baseline and longitudinal data that enhances the NDDOT’s ability to evaluate traffic safety programs and allocate resources effectively. The data supports the state’s Vision Zero Plan by highlighting areas of improvement, such as the decline in impaired driving, and identifying persistent challenges, such as the low perceived likelihood of being ticketed for speeding. The findings underscore the importance of continued monitoring of driver behaviors and perceptions, particularly as the state transitions to new speed limits. By quantifying driver attitudes and behaviors, the survey facilitates evidence-based policy decisions and targeted enforcement strategies to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities on North Dakota roadways.
Key finding
Self-reported data reveals that 34.0% of drivers operated a vehicle within two hours of consuming one to two alcoholic drinks in the past 60 days, a decrease from 40.0% in 2024, while 81.8% reported always using seat belts, a slight decline from 85.8% in 2024.
Methodology
survey
Sample size: 1643
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| verify | partial | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified_with_issues.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.
- seat belt use
- incidence prevalence
- sex gender
- traffic safety culture
- cultural cross national
- 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).
- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence, crash risk outcomes
- Methodological Resource: dataset resource