Research & Evaluation

Behaviors and Attitudes - NHTSA studies behaviors and attitudes in highway safety, focusing on drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and motorcyclists. We identify and measure behaviors involved in crashes or associated with injuries, and develop and refine countermeasures to deter unsafe behaviors and promote safe alternatives.

Latest Reports

National Phone Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors
Most drivers will answer a call while driving and most will continue to drive after answering. About 2 out of 10 drivers (18%) report that they have sent text messages or e-mails while driving; about half (49%) of those 21 to 24 years old report doing so. More than half believe that using a cell phone and or sending a text message/e-mail makes no difference on their driving performance, yet as passengers, 90% said they would feel very unsafe if their driver was talking on a handheld cell phone or texting/e-mailing while traveling with them.
Evaluation of Teen Seat Belt Demonstration Projects in Colorado and Nevada
Teen seat belt use increased significantly in both States. Overall gains of 5 percentage points in Colorado and 8 points in Nevada were substantial, particularly given that both States have secondary enforcement laws and low fine levels ($20 in Colorado; $25 in Nevada).
Public Awareness Survey Recommendations of the NHTSA-GHSA Working Group
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) developed a basic set of survey questions including information on seat belt use, impaired driving, and speeding. These core questions can be used in regular telephone or similar surveys to track driver attitudes and awareness of highway safety enforcement and communication activities and self-reported driving behavior. This working paper summarizes the results.

Determining the Relationship of Primary Seat Belt Laws to Minority Ticketing
This study found that primary laws were related to gains in seat belt use without evidence of racial profiling associated with changing the law from secondary to primary.
Documenting How States Recently Upgraded to Primary Seat Belt Laws
This study documented the roles, strategies, resources, and arguments these States used in efforts to pass primary belt laws.
Pilot Study of Instrumentation to Collect Behavioral Data to Identify On-Road Rider Behaviors
Motorcycle-related research questions of interest to NHTSA were reviewed. Instrumentation techniques and study procedures that have been used for light- and heavy-vehicle studies were adapted for use in answering the motorcycle-related questions. Analyses were conducted to illustrate possible uses of the data and to confirm the effectiveness of the adapted instrumentation.
Field and Simulator Evaluations of a PC-Based Attention Maintenance Training Program
This report presents the results of three research studies regarding driver distraction from the forward roadway due to secondary in-vehicle tasks. Together, the results from these three studies suggest that young drivers may benefit from training that addresses attention maintenance skills.
Medical Review Process and License Disposition of Drivers Referred by Law Enforcement and Other Sources in Virginia
This report describes the medical review process and license outcomes for 100 drivers referred by law enforcement officers in Virginia. Additionally, it describes the license outcomes for 105 drivers referred by seven other sources: the courts for people adjudicated as mentally incapacitated, general traffic court, customers who self-report medical conditions on license application and renewal forms, DMV customer service representatives, the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI), family members, and physicians.
Evaluation of the DUI Court Program in Maricopa County, Arizona
This is the final report of a project that evaluated the effectiveness of a DUI court program aimed at reducing felony DUI offenders’ subsequent alcohol-related traffic violations.
Four High-Visibility Enforcement Demonstration Waves in Connecticut and New York Reduce Hand-Held Phone Use
Drivers using hand-held cell phones while driving dropped 57% in Hartford (from 6.8% to 2.9%) and 32% in Syracuse (from 3.7% to 2.5%). Drivers who were texting while driving declined 72% in Hartford (from 3.9% to 1.1%) and 32% in Syracuse (from 2.8% to 1.9%).
Use of Warrants to Reduce Breath Test Refusals: Experiences From North Carolina
The objective of this study was to examine one possible strategy to decrease refusals rates - the use of a search warrant to obtain blood samples from a driver who refuses to provide a breath sample.
Feasibility of Collecting Traffic Safety Data From Law Enforcement Agencies
The focus of this project was to learn from law enforcement representatives what information is currently collected; document the resources, strategies, frequency, and intensity of activities dedicated to traffic-safety-related enforcement; and learn how LEAs use these resources.
Alcohol and Highway Safety 2006: A Review of the State of Knowledge
This sixth volume in NHTSA’s series of reviews is a compilation of information from a 5-year span of alcohol and highway safety reports and research findings.
An Evaluation of Intensive Supervision Programs for Serious DWI Offenders
This project does the following: (1) Documents eight ISPs that appear to be promising in dealing with serious, chronic, and/or repeat DWI offenders; (2) Conducts impact evaluations for three of the ISPs; (3) Identifies factors that help predict recidivism in all groups of offenders studied; (4) Compiles costs associated with the ISPs (where available); (5) Estimates re-arrests for DWI offenses prevented by three of the ISPs.
Drugged Driving Expert Panel Report: A Consensus Protocol for Assessing the Potential of Drugs to Impair Driving
In November 2008 and March 2009, an expert panel was convened with the goal of determining whether a list could be developed, indicating which medications or classes of medications may pose a hazard to driving.
An Evaluation of the Three Georgia DUI Courts
This report documents a process evaluation of the first few years of DUI court activities and then describes an impact evaluation that was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the three courts.
Countermeasures that Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices (6th Edition, 2011)
This guide is a basic reference to assist State Highway Safety Offices in selecting effective, science-based traffic safety countermeasures for major highway safety problem areas
Evaluation of the First Year of the Washington Program Nighttime Seat Belt Enforcement
Examined awareness of the campaign with a survey in driver license offices, observed seat belt use both day and night at 40 selected sites in five counties around the State, and the statewide annual observational surveys for 2007 and 2008.
Strategies to Increase Seat Belt Use: An Analysis of Levels of Fines And the Type of Law
The main objectives of this study were to determine the relationships between seat belt use in the States and (1) the type of seat belt law enforcement (primary versus secondary), and (2) seat belt fine levels.
Daytime and Nighttime Seat Belt Use by Fatally Injured Passenger Vehicle Occupants
The difference in day and night seat belt use among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants was investigated by personal, environmental, and vehicle characteristics. Seat belt use among fatally injured occupants was lower at night (9 p.m.-3:59 a.m.) than during the day. On average, nighttime use was 18 percentage points lower than daytime belt use.