Research & Evaluation
Behavioral Research
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.
Our recently published reports and research notes are listed chronologically below. To the right are additional resources including Traffic Techs.
| Title | Report |
|---|---|
Understanding and Using New Pedestrian and Bicycle FacilitiesResearch has explored the benefits of innovative pedestrian and bicycle facilities, but it is unclear how pedestrians and bicyclists learn to properly use them. This report provides information on new pedestrian and bicycle treatments and (1) the behavior and knowledge of pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers traversing through, on, and around the new facilities, and (2) law enforcement activity around the facilities. A systematic literature review as well as a review of current practices in outreach was conducted. |
DOT HS 813 317 |
Safety in Numbers: A Literature ReviewIn pedestrian and bicyclist safety, Jacobsen’s 2003 “Safety in Numbers” (SIN) theory posits an inverse relationship between the extent of walking and bicycling and the probability of motorist collisions. This literature review summarizes SIN research, identifying implications of the work chronologically, developing the SIN concept and subsequent work testing and expanding the theory. It considers study fields and areas of practice including engineering, planning and land use, sociology, psychology, education, public health, enforcement, human factors, and others. This breadth was especially important due to wide audience who may apply this review results to their future practice. These include State Highway Safety Offices, national organizations interested in the SIN topic, constituents from the FHWA, planners, engineers, educators, advocacy groups, policymakers, State DOTs, metropolitan planning organizations, and roadway users -- motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists -- and law enforcement. |
DOT HS 813 279 |
Risk Factors for Young Drivers in Fatal and Non-Fatal Crashes: Supplementary ReportThis is supplementary report accompanies the report titled, Risk Factors for Young Drivers in Fatal and Non-Fatal Crashes. |
DOT HS 813 303B |
Risk Factors for Young Drivers in Fatal and Non-Fatal CrashesThis report analyzed data from young drivers 16 to 20 years old from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) years 2013 to 2017, and from the second Strategic Highway Research Program’s Naturalistic Driving Study (SHRP2 NDS). The data permitted a comparison of trends between age and amount of driving experience for a similar range of variables. Although young driver risk appeared to decline with increasing age, young drivers were at higher risk than 35-year-olds for most factors. Some situations were particularly risky for young drivers relative to 35-year-old and relative to other kinds of situations. The results from this study may be useful for developing graduated driver licensing as well as driver education content. |
DOT HS 813 303A |
Synthesis of Studies That Relate Amount of Enforcement to Magnitude Of Safety Outcomes - Technical AppendixThis is the Technical Appendix for the Synthesis of Studies That Relate Amount of Enforcement to Magnitude Of Safety Outcomes report, DOT HS 812 712-A. |
DOT HS 813 274-B |
Synthesis of Studies That Relate Amount of Enforcement to Magnitude Of Safety OutcomesThe National Cooperative Research and Evaluation Program (NCREP) identifies and funds research and evaluation projects that improve and expand State highway safety countermeasures. One such topic is measuring the impact of various amounts of traffic enforcement on changes in safety outcomes. The project team identified 80 relevant studies for inclusion in the synthesis. Current literature only supported findings related to occupant protection enforcement. No relationship between levels of enforcement and safety outcomes could be identified for distracted driving, alcohol-impaired driving, speeding, or aggressive driving. However, for all targeted behaviors, the enforcement campaigns evaluated were effective in improving safety outcomes even though the combination of these evaluations could not provide sufficient evidence to establish a relationship between the level of resources used and the magnitude of the safety improvement. |
DOT HS 813 274-A |
Research on Older Adults’ Mobility: 2021 Summary ReportThis report summarizes a meeting to spotlight research on older adults’ mobility held in January 2021– dubbed ROAM, Research on Older Adult Mobility – provided a forum to share news of completed research, report on the progress of ongoing studies, and highlight priorities for future work. Participants included medical professionals, occupational therapists, State DMV officials, mobility service provider specialists, automated driving system/advanced driver assistance system experts, and other academic and private sector research professionals. |
DOT HS 813 317 |
Visual Scanning Training for Older DriversThis study examined the effectiveness of a visual scanning training program administered by an occupational therapist as an intervention to improve visual scanning performance of healthy older drivers. Participants included 89 licensed drivers age 70 and older. The training program consisted of four, 1-hour sessions. Participants completed three on-road evaluations: pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and 3 months post-intervention. During the evaluations a camera recorded driver face video to support later analyses of the frequency, duration, and direction of eye glances away from the forward line of sight. Analyses of driving data showed no significant differences between intervention and control groups on driving or glance measures. |
DOT HS 813 295 |
Estimating Motorcycle Miles Travelled from State Vehicle Inspection RecordsThis report summarizes a study that examined motorcycle miles traveled as indicated by odometer readings taken from vehicle inspection records. Estimating vehicle exposure is difficult for any type of vehicle, and motorcycles are no exception. Motorcycle vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is based on traffic counts of sampled roadways supplemented with traffic modeling. This study sought to improve understanding by examining motorcycle odometer readings as measures of VMT in Hawaii, North Carolina, and Virginia. Results showed mean annual mileage per motorcycle was consistent year-to-year, and motorcycles were ridden about 2,000 miles each year. |
DOT HS 813 288 |
Drug Testing and Traffic Safety: What You Need to KnowDrugged driving is both of great interest and very complex. This report continues that discussion by examining how drug use data from people involved in a motor vehicle crashes is entered into NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a cornerstone of NHTSA's information collection systems. It has given Federal and State agencies, legislators, advocacy groups, and researchers key data about fatal motor vehicle crashes for all road user types and on all public roads. It is internationally respected for its breadth and depth of data. But reporting drug use across a myriad of substances, and with varying testing protocols across forensic laboratories and across States can lead to confusion about the meaning of results. Currently, the limitations described in this report constrain interpretation of drug test results data, including comparisons across jurisdictions or years. In some other research areas with missing or incomplete data, estimates may still be useful. This is not the case with FARS drug data. The report discusses NHTSA’s actions for improving the quantity and quality of drug data in FARS. |
DOT HS 813 264 |