GHSA Annual Meeting

Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, 10th Edition, 2020
July 2021, DOT HS 813 097
Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices based on effective, evidence-based countermeasure for nine traffic safety problem areas—see Chapter 7 for Older Drivers. This is the go-to for what we know, based on traffic safety research, that works. That said, it really takes a combination of strategies and partnerships to make a program work to save lives and influence behaviors.

How to Identify Unsafe Motorcycle Helmets
September 2019, DOT HS 807 880
It’s clear: motorcycle helmets save lives. To help protect the lives of motorcycle riders, the U.S. Department of Transportation requires that all motorcycle helmets sold in the United States meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218. This brochure helps riders know what to look for in a safe helmet.

Best Practices for Implementing a State Judicial Outreach Liaison Program
March 2019, DOT HS 812 676
This report was previously published under the title Guidelines for Creating State Judicial Outreach Liaisons, Report No. DOT HS 811 783, in July 2013. This edition was revised and re-titled in March 2019. It now has two parts. Part I is for the State Highway Safety Office (SHSO) and includes information on the scope and purpose of the State Judicial Outreach Liaison (JOL) program. Part II is focused on launching the program and includes information helpful to both the SHSO and the new State JOL. The criminal justice system plays a critical role in deterring unsafe driving behaviors and assigning appropriate consequences for impaired driving and other traffic offenses. From arrest to prosecution to sentencing, it is important that all stakeholders in the criminal justice system are aware of the efforts being made to reduce traffic fatalities. To that end, peer-to-peer training, education, and outreach are used in promoting proven and promising practices. NHTSA has supported the development of a network of criminal justice professionals who utilize peer-to-peer education.

Ride Sober or Get Pulled Over
www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/ride-sober

“Cross The Line” YouTube Videos
:30 Second Spot www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaJoUukz1ow
:15 Second Spot www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-WrN05lg48

School Transportation

NHTSA Video: STOP means STOP! Watch the proper way to stop for a school bus, and what NOT to do.
NHTSA Video: Did you know that the greatest risk to a child isn’t riding a bus but approaching or leaving one? STOP means STOP! As you’ll see in this video, it’s not just a bus you’re stopping for, it’s a bus full of students.

Screenshots of sample TSM campaign images

Traffic Safety Marketing

African American Seat Belt Safety Toolkit
Motor vehicle crashes remain the primary cause of death for African Americans age 24 and younger. While many African Americans understand the risks of not wearing a seat belt, 56% of those killed in motor vehicle crashes were unbuckled. NHTSA is raising awareness of the dangers associated with not wearing a seat belt with a new seat belt safety toolkit that includes several pieces of educational material, including a social media playbook.

Heatstroke Prevention and Bystander Awareness
National heatstroke prevention day was May 1, 2022. The 2022 campaign launched on April 25 and runs through September 25. Messaging is focused on parents with children 2 and younger and other caregivers such as grandparents and daycare providers. Everyone has a role in helping to ensure no child dies in a hot car.

Grandparents and Car Seat Safety Web Page and Educational Flyer
The Grandparents and Car Seat Safety web page and educational flyer were created for grandparents and elderly caregivers who are responsible for car seat installation. What might be physically easier for younger parents could prove frustrating for grandparents with today’s car seats that are equipped with modern safety technology. These resources are here to help grandparents and elderly caregivers navigate this critical safety information.

2022 National Pedestrian Safety Month - Resource Guide
A safe transportation system prioritizes people. It is designed to accommodate the mistakes people will make. Everyone - including those who plan, develop educational strategies, design, build, implement equitable enforcement policies, operate, and use our transportation system - shares the responsibility for road safety. We must all work together using all available tools to assist in achieving zero serious injuries and fatalities on our nation’s roadways and creating a transportation system that allows all people to get to their destination safely and seamlessly. The resource guide provides ideas and links to materials you can download to support State and local community efforts. It is organized with suggested focuses and activities for each week of the month and aligns with the National Road Safety Strategy to get to zero roadway fatalities. The weeks are as follows, Week 1: Safe People, Week 2: Safe Speeds and Roads, Week 3: Safe Vehicles, and Week 4: Post-Crash Care.

Speeding Wrecks Lives
NHTSA has new advertising material on speeding prevention for both social norming and enforcement campaigns. The material includes TV, radio, digital, and social media in both English and Spanish languages.

Ride Sober or Get Pulled Over | Motorcycles & Alcohol
May 2023 is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.
As law enforcement professionals and highway safety advocates, your efforts will help reduce the number of drunk drivers on the roads and save lives. By increasing State enforcement efforts, raising public awareness through paid, earned, and social media, and maximizing your local resources, you can indeed make a difference. Use this enforcement material to crack down on drunk riders and to increase community awareness of the dangers of drunk driving.
Note: No one may alter, edit, or change a NHTSA TV ad or web video. However, a State may submit a request to NHTSA for NHTSA to “retag” the TV ad or web video. “Retag” means to place the State logo in the NHTSA TV ad or web video. Click here for more information.

Traffic Safety Marketing Photo Library

School Transportation
Motorcycle Safety
Pedestrian Safety
Bicycle Safety
Older Adults and Drivers

Screenshots of sample upcoming TSM campaigns

Coming Soon to TSM

Seat Belt Use
TV advertisement and social media graphics.

Thanksgiving Holiday Travel
Buckle Up - Every Trip. Every Time.
November 23-27, 2022
This Thanksgiving weekend, millions will hit our Nation's roads, eager to spend time with family and friends. It’s one of the busiest travel times of the year, and unfortunately more people on the roadways means the potential for more vehicle crashes.

Use these social norming marketing tools, which can be distributed to fit your local needs and objectives. This material can help your office work with other States, communities, and organizations on this seat belt safety initiative.

For Thanksgiving Weekend seat belt enforcement (CIOT) campaign material, click here.

Impaired Driving
If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DUI
New TV Ad for Drug-Impaired Driving High-Visibility Enforcement Campaign. New TV ad will feature the tagline with a target audience of males 18-34 who might smoke marijuana and drive high.

Rail Crossings
Stop. Trains Can’t.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have created new national ads to support the Stop. Trains Can’t. national rail grade crossing safety campaign to increase public awareness about being safe around rail grade tracks, and reduce crossing deaths and injuries. Assets include English and Spanish TV, radio, print, outdoor, and digital banner ads.

Prevent Illegal School Bus Passing
The Illegal School Bus Passing Awareness Campaign will remind drivers (including novice drivers) that all motor vehicles must stop when a school bus displays flashing red warning lights and extends the stop signal arm. The message also reinforces the message that motorists who illegally pass a school bus can cause serious injury or kill a child crossing the street. Materials will include earned media, national advertisements, and other downloadable resources.

Distracted Driving
U Drive. U Text. U Pay.
The 2023 U Drive. U Text. U Pay. national distracted-driving enforcement campaign runs from April 3-10, 2023. It’s supported by the “Connect-to-Disconnect” enforcement blitz on April 6, which is followed by social norming and social media efforts with the “If you’re texting, you’re not driving” and “#justdrive” tags. New enforcement ads, sample earned media templates, how-to guides, and downloadable graphics will be available to support outreach efforts.

Stop the Texts. Stop the Wrecks.
The 2023 Stop the Texts. Stop the Wrecks. national social norming campaign will feature a new national advertisement and be supported by the Project Yellow Light scholarship competition for high school and college students. Winning entries will be featured as national television, radio, and OOH advertisements.

Child Passenger Safety
New social graphics and earned media are available for 2022 Child Passenger Safety Week September 18 - 24

Coming Soon to NHTSA.gov

Pedestrian and Bicycles
A Nationwide Review of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Education within Drivers Education
This report is a review of drivers’ education and training material across the Nation on the level of emphasis placed on pedestrian, bicyclist, and micro mobility safety education, as well as specific content such as illegal school bus passing and stop-arm laws.

Developing and Implementing a Statewide Pedestrian and Bicyclist Education and Enforcement Program This report documents the Florida Department of Transportation’s education and enforcement efforts of their Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Action Plan. The information is intended to serve as a resource for other States interested in developing corridor-focused grassroots safety education and high-visibility enforcement pedestrian and bicycle safety programs.

State of Knowledge on Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety
This report is intended to aid readers in understanding the risks pedestrians and bicyclists face to help identify appropriate data and select adequate countermeasures. The report builds on the NHTSA’s existing resources about pedestrian and bicyclist safety literature, primarily collected from 2013 to 2020.

Older Drivers

Older Drivers and Rearview Video Systems
Anticipated completion date: late 2022
This project will assess driving performance of older adults using inside and outside rearview mirrors compared to using a rearview video system (RVS) while operating a motor vehicle in reverse. Initial findings will guide development of a training protocol to address errors observed in the initial study segment. The research team will test the protocol on a new sample of older drivers. Performance will be measured in terms of time to complete backing tasks, eye movements to mirrors and RVS display, and number of objects successfully avoided. Findings will be used to improve older adults’ ability to benefit from these devices.

For more information, see https://rip.trb.org/view/1425823.

Drivers Knowledge of Correct Use of New Technology Features in Vehicles
The objective of this study is to explore drivers’ attitudes regarding Advanced Driving Assistance Systems or ADAS (e.g., lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control) before and after having used the systems; how drivers use these systems during on-road driving, and the extent to which such systems affect safety behaviors such as seat belt and child restraint system use, speeding, and distracted driving. The study will include 60 participants (30 males and 30 females) from each of three age groups (18-25, 40-49 and 70+) for a total of 180 participants. Data collection activities include a Knowledge and Attitude Questionnaire and baseline and final drives involving approximately 2-hour planned routes. Participants shall complete one route before the naturalistic driving interval with the ADAS disabled (baseline) and again after driving with the ADAS systems activated (final drive). The study also will involve four weeks of naturalistic driving with the ADAS activated. The results will be summarized in a final report. For more information, see https://rip.trb.org/View/1658680.

Updated Literature Review of the Effects of Medical Conditions on Driving
Anticipated completion date: 2023
The objective of this project is to produce a document that summarizes, evaluates, and synthesizes recent research on the effects of a selected set of medical conditions on crashes, crash-related injuries, violations, and driving performance. The current project will contribute to NHTSA’s efforts to reduce crash fatalities and injuries involving drivers with chronic medical conditions by updating NHTSA’s periodic review and synthesis of research on the effects of medical conditions on driving performance. In 2005, NHTSA published a comprehensive review that included literature from 1960 through 2000, and a recent update that includes studies through 2011 was published this year. The current project will apply systematic review procedures to comprehensively identify and assess the quality of studies published between 2012 and the time of review that examine the effects of a set of medical conditions on driving (driving performance, crashes, fatalities, injuries, or violations). The results of the review will be documented in a final report that describes the included studies, aggregates findings across studies, and weighs study quality to provide a synthesis of the best evidence for the effects of a particular medical condition on driving. This report is intended to be used by health care practitioners who advise patients on driving, officials involved in licensing and driver medical reviews, and other researchers. For more information, see https://rip.trb.org/View/1656192.

State of Knowledge on Older Drivers
Anticipated completion date: 2023
The objective of this project is to produce a report in which each chapter contains a comprehensive systematic literature review that summarizes, evaluates, and synthesizes research published since 1999 on topics related to older driver safety. NHTSA has previously published periodic “State of Knowledge” reports on a variety of behavioral safety topics. However, the current project represents the first on issues related to older drivers. The current project will apply systematic review procedures to comprehensively identify and evaluate the quality of studies on a selection of topics related to older driver safety. Each chapter of the Older Driver State of Knowledge report will describe the selected studies, aggregate findings across studies, and weigh study quality to provide a synthesis of the best evidence to date on the topic. The Older Driver State of Knowledge report is intended to be a reference document for both in-house use and use by other Federal agencies, State Highway Safety Offices, and other partners. The report will also be of use to officials involved in licensing decisions, health care practitioners who advise older patients about fitness-to-drive, and researchers within the field of aging and older driver safety.

For more information, see https://rip.trb.org/View/1656190

Motorcycles

Update to National Motorcycle Safety Resources
To provide relevant information as we navigate the national direction of Motorcycle Safety, NHTSA is working to update the following foundational Motorcycle Safety resources:

National Agenda of Motorcycle Safety (NAMS) Implementation Guide (2016)
Model National Standards for Entry-Level Rider Training (2011)
Model National Standards for State Motorcycle Rider Training Programs (2014)

New Publications on the Web

Understanding and Using New Ped-Bike Facilities
July 2022
DOT HS 813 317
Research 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. Generally, road users use new transportation facilities safely, if not entirely as intended. Confusion can occur when expectations differ from reality, such as when movement patterns are changed. Pedestrians and bicyclists express positive attitudes (e.g., reduced delays, improved routes, increased safety) about new facilities, and motorists share these sentiments unless they perceive inconveniences or unexpected behaviors. Little published research has explored education strategies for specific facilities. It appears that the general practice is to use established signage rather than experimenting with a potentially more effective method, such as intuitive design principles or media campaigns. Just one study identified evaluated the effects of enforcement activities. Enforcement—whether by visible patrol, citations, sting operations, or otherwise—is likely to positively influence compliance among all road users, but the research community has yet to document this mechanism. The review of current practices in outreach was intended to supplement the literature review, which identified gaps in knowledge about what might be effective at improving the understanding and use of facilities. A small number of studies into broader educational campaigns indicate that multimode communication to a highly localized audience is the most successful strategy for improving safety through behavioral change. More research is needed to quantify the success of the educational campaigns.

Safety in Numbers: A Literature Review
June 2022
DOT HS 813 279
In the context of pedestrian and bicyclist safety, the theory of Jacobsen’s 2003 “Safety in Numbers” (SIN) posits an inverse relationship between the extent of walking and bicycling and the probability of motorist collisions with pedestrians and bicyclists. A literature review was conducted to summarize the state of research on SIN and identify potential implications of the work. The review chronologically describes research developing the SIN concept and subsequent work testing and expanding the theory. The literature review considers fields of study 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 the broad target audience of this report who may apply the literature review results to their own future practice. These include State Highway Safety Offices, national organizations interested in the SIN topic, constituents from the Federal Highway Administration, planners, engineers, educators, advocacy groups, policymakers, State DOTs, metropolitan planning organizations, and roadway users — motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists — and law enforcement professionals.

Research on Older Adults’ Mobility: 2021 Summary Report
June 2022
DOT HS 813 311
A meeting to spotlight research on older adults’ mobility – dubbed ROAM – was held virtually due to COVID-19 on January 11, 2021. Under NHTSA sponsorship, this meeting provided a multi-disciplinary forum oriented toward interested parties sharing news of completed research, reporting on the progress of ongoing studies, and highlighting priorities for future work. The meeting of about 70 participants included physicians and other medical professionals, occupational therapists and certified driver rehabilitation specialists, State DMV officials, mobility service provider specialists, public health practitioners, automated driving system /advanced driver assistance system experts, and other academic and private sector research professionals. ROAM 2021 included a general session and three breakout sessions devoted to medical fitness-to-drive and licensing policy, driving automation and older adults, and transportation alternatives. The meeting supported equity in traffic safety as it addressed disparities faced by older adults.

Synthesis of Studies That Relate Amount of Enforcement to Magnitude of Safety Outcomes
June 2022
DOT HS 813 274-A
This report covers the findings of a research project carried out by the Volpe Center on behalf of NHTSA and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) under the National Cooperative Research and Evaluation Program (NCREP), which identifies and funds research and evaluation projects for improving and expanding State highway safety countermeasures. One such topic identified 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 in the available literature 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.

Synthesis of Studies that Relate Amount of Enforcement to Magnitude of Safety Outcomes - Technical Appendix
June 2022
DOT HS 813 274-B
This report covers the findings of a research project carried out by the Volpe Center on behalf of NHTSA and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) under the National Cooperative Research and Evaluation Program (NCREP), which identifies and funds research and evaluation projects for improving and expanding State highway safety countermeasures. One such topic identified 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 in the available literature 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. This document is a technical appendix to the main report, Synthesis of Studies that Relate Amount of Enforcement to Magnitude of Safety Outcomes.

Risk Factors for Young Drivers in Fatal and Non-Fatal Crashes
June 2022
DOT HS 813 303A
This report documents the results of analyses using data from young drivers (16 to 20 years old) from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) from 2013 to 2017 and the second Strategic Highway Research Program’s Naturalistic Driving Study (SHRP2 NDS). The research team conducted quasi-induced exposure analyses by calculating crash involvement ratios (CIRs) at each young driver age using multi-vehicle crashes each with only one driver with a contributing factor. CIRs were examined with respect to risk factors relevant to graduated driver licensing (GDL) and driver education (DE). For FARS data, CIR values for young drivers were compared to a 35-year-old reference group using logistic regression. The SHRP2 NDS data also permitted a comparison of trends between age and amount of driving experience in 6-month increments for a similar range of variables. Although young driver risk appeared to decline with increasing age, young drivers of all ages (i.e., 16 to 20) were at higher risk than 35-year-olds for most factors. Some situations were particularly risky for young drivers relative to 35-year-old drivers and relative to other kinds of situations. The results from this study may be useful for developing DE content or supervised driving practices targeted at the riskiest situations for young drivers, given that many young drivers are novices. Additional descriptive analyses are available in the Supplementary Report.

Risk Factors for Young Drivers in Fatal and Non-Fatal Crashes: Supplementary Report
June 2022
DOT HS 813 303B
This supplementary report gives the results of analyses of fatal and non-fatal crashes involving young drivers using data from FARS from 2013-2017 and the second Strategic Highway Research Program’s Naturalistic Driving Study (SHRP2 NDS). The research team conducted quasi-induced exposure analyses by calculating crash involvement ratios (CIRs) for multi-vehicle crashes, each with only one driver with a contributing factor. For FARS data, CIR values for each young driver age cohort of 14 to 20 years old were compared to a reference group cohort of 35-year-old drivers using logistic regression. The SHRP2 NDS data permitted a comparison of trends across age versus the amount of early driving experience, for a similar range of variables as examined in the FARS analyses. The final technical report associated with this supplementary report, Risk Factors for Young Drivers in Fatal and Non-Fatal Crashes, presents a summary and conclusions drawn from these analyses as they relate to potential enhancements for graduated driver licensing and driver education programs. This supplementary report also contains descriptive statistics for single- and multi-vehicle crashes in the FARS dataset for a range of driver/occupant, roadway/environment, and crash characteristics.

Estimating Motorcycle Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) from State Annual Safety Inspection Data
May 2022
DOT HS 813 288
This 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.

Visual Scanning Training for Older Drivers
May 2022
DOT HS 813 295
This study examined the effectiveness of a visual scanning training program administered by a generalist occupational therapist (OT), conceived as an intervention to improve the performance of healthy older drivers on this skill. Researchers recruited 89 participants, divided equally between males and females 70 and older, who were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The training program consisted of four, 1-hour sessions. Developed by a certified driver rehabilitation specialist (CDRS), this program included exercises to be led by the OT, on a one-on-one basis. The control group received an equal-contact intervention consisting of discussions about more generic traffic safety topics, led by an occupational therapy student. A different CDRS, “blind” to group assignment, administered three on-road evaluations for each participant: pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and 3 months post-intervention. During each on-road evaluation a camera recorded driver face video in sufficient detail to support later analyses of the frequency, duration, and direction of eye glances away from the forward line of sight. The remaining measure was a post-intervention questionnaire completed by the treatment group to gauge their perceptions of the value of the training exercises and if and how they would apply what they learned in everyday driving. Researchers calculated change scores for the road tests and eye glance metrics for each participant at both post-intervention periods, relative to their pre-intervention performance levels. There were no significant differences between groups on any of the performance measures. The subjective data showed that participants perceived the training to have high value to help them drive more safely. This report concludes with a discussion of the study’s implications for clinical practice.

Overview of Motor Vehicle Crashes in 2020
March 2022
DOT HS 813 266
This technical report provides an overview of motor vehicle crashes in 2020. There were 38,824 people killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes on U.S. roadways during 2020, a 6.8-percent increase from 36,355 fatalities in 2019, or 2,469 more people killed in traffic crashes in 2020. The estimated number of people injured on our roadways decreased in 2020 to 2.28 million, falling from 2.74 million in 2019, a statistically significant decrease of 17 percent. The estimated number of police-reported crashes decreased from 6.76 million in 2019 to 5.25 million in 2020, a statistically significant 22-percent decrease. This report includes detailed monthly analysis of vehicle miles traveled/fatality/injury trends and analysis of several major behavioral factors such as speeding, alcohol-impaired driving, and seat belt non-use.

Evaluating High-Visibility Enforcement of Bicycle Passing Laws
March 2022
DOT HS 813 248
This study selected Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Knoxville, Tennessee, to implement high-visibility enforcement (HVE) programs to increase compliance with laws requiring drivers to leave a minimum distance when passing bicycles. In Grand Rapids, a local ordinance required leaving 5 feet, and in Knoxville, the State law and local ordinance required a minimum 3 feet to pass. Police in both cities used the same type of ultrasonic measuring device to determine if drivers passing decoy officers on bicycles were too close. The ultrasonic measuring device was modified to store data and was used to collect evaluation measures by two groups of data collection riders— “staged riders” who rode repeatedly on routes on which enforcement was focused, and “volunteer riders” who used their bicycles as primary transportation. Each city developed its own publicity program to increase the visibility of the enforcement. HVE programs continued for approximately 4 months in each city. Results showed that the average passing distance in both cities during baseline was already well in excess of the prevailing legal requirement, but violations (passes closer than 5 feet in Grand Rapids and closer than 3 feet in Knoxville) were still high (26.0% in Grand Rapids and 5.0% in Knoxville). By the end of the HVE programs, statistically significant increases in average passing distance and significant decreases in violations were achieved in both cities. Police had no problems using the ultrasonic measuring device to identify violators and chose to issue more warnings than tickets.

A How-to Guide for Conducting a Statewide Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Other Drugs
March 2022
DOT HS 813 198
Having valid and reliable estimates of the prevalence of alcohol and other drug use among drivers on the roadway are important components of addressing impaired driving. Roadside collections of biological samples are an effective way to measure drug prevalence among drivers in a State. Prevalence refers to the proportion of drivers on the road who test positive for alcohol or other drugs. While presence of a drug does not always mean a driver is impaired, the collection of biological specimens through roadside surveys allows for the quantitative determination of alcohol and drug levels in drivers’ systems. NHTSA has conducted several voluntary and anonymous National Roadside Surveys and also worked with Washington State to conduct a statewide survey before and after legalization of the recreational use of cannabis in that State. If a State is interested in conducting its own statewide roadside survey, this How-to Guide draws on these past experiences to provide start-to-finish guidance on how to develop and implement a statewide survey of alcohol and other drug prevalence among drivers. The guide includes information on how to develop a study plan, budget, and conduct specimen collection. It also contains information on the research questions that can be addressed, personnel and equipment needed, and issues that may arise (e.g., how to handle an impaired driver). This guide is intended as a primer for State officials, project managers, and researchers on the components of a quality statewide study. After reading this guide, a study manager will understand the scope of activities a comprehensive study must include, and the importance of including experienced professionals in the data collection and analysis activities.

Drug Testing and Traffic Safety: What You Need to Know
March 2022
DOT HS 813 264
The drugs-and-driving topic is both of great interest and very complex. As attention on the topic has risen, so have discussions about the use of data on drug presence among road users. This report continues that discussion by examining the process of obtaining and reporting drug use data from people involved in motor vehicle crashes. It examines processes along the way, and the resulting data entered into NHTSA’s FARS - a national census of fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States. The report describes challenges in drug testing and reporting in the United States. The limitations identified here are not necessarily unique to drug testing, or to FARS, and are presented to inform discussions on drugs and driving and lay the groundwork for improving the data collection and reporting. For a crash to be included in the FARS database, it must have included a motor vehicle that was traveling on a public road and resulted in at least one person having died within 720 hours (30 days) as a result of the crash. The FARS database is a cornerstone of NHTSA's information collection systems, and the information has provided 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. For example, FARS data on alcohol-impaired driving have been a foundation for national- and State-level planning, research, and policymaking for decades. In contrast, reporting of drug use, across a myriad of potential substances, and with varying testing protocols across forensic laboratories and across States can lead to confusion about the meaning of results at the community or national levels. Whether to test, what to test for, and how to test for the presence of drugs is determined at the local level. Currently, the limitations described in this report constrain interpretation of drug test results data, including comparisons across jurisdictions or across 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. These missing data cannot be imputed using statistical techniques as are not missing “at-random”- a necessary property for missing data imputation. For example, limited drug testing panels and false negatives lead to underestimated drug prevalence; conversely, false positive results from drug screening tests may lead to overestimates. The report discusses NHTSA’s actions for improving the quantity and quality of drug data in its FARS.

Characteristics of State Law Enforcement Liaison Programs: Survey Results
March 2022
DOT HS 813 259
This study increased understanding of State Law Enforcement Liaison (LEL) programs across the United States by providing information about their characteristics including duties, responsibilities, and activities. The study included an online survey of LELs and their State Highway Safety Office (SHSO) program managers to identify program characteristics and practices. A total of 105 LELs and 31 SHSO representatives completed the surveys. Close to 75% of the LELs responded that they were directly accountable to their SHSOs. Over 75% of the LELs focused on impaired driving, occupant protection, distracted driving, and speed management. Most LELs recruited grantees, provided information and training to Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), served as the point of contact between the SHSO and LEA community, and established relationships with LEAs, advocates, and stakeholders. Close to 75% of the LELs reported that their performance was evaluated. Frequently reported metrics included the number of in-person LEA visits and remote contacts, attendance at events and conferences, and the number of LEAs participating in mobilizations. Analyses using rates of LEA participation in grants and several LEL program characteristics did not uncover any patterns. Other unmeasured factors such as size of the State, types of LEAs, State traffic law differences, and enforcement culture may play parts in LEA grant procurements and participation in NHTSA highway safety campaigns. However, specific LEL characteristics, such as superior communication and interpersonal skills, knowledge of State traffic safety laws and general police methods, connections with LEAs, and high energy and charisma were identified as important factors for a productive program.

Guide to Updating State Crash Data Systems
December 2021
DOT HS 813 217
The Guide to Updating State Crash Data Systems provides crash data collectors, managers, and users of State crash data systems with tools that help with processes, procedures, and noteworthy practices to update their crash data systems. The guide gives States the opportunity to perform exercises related to engaging stakeholders, examining gaps in the crash database, and creating action plans for deploying a new system. States can use the guide to complete their crash system update process.

Older Driver Performance Across Six Naturalistic Studies
November 2021
DOT HS 813 181
Conventional wisdom holds that older drivers reduce their crash risk by self-regulating, limiting their driving to situations they believe they can navigate safely. However, crash data show that older drivers are still more likely than middle-age drivers to contribute to crashes. NHTSA has sponsored multiple older driver studies within the past decade that included naturalistic observations of driving exposure, often incorporating similar methods and measures to gauge everyday driving habits. Within the same period, the TRB sponsored the SHRP 2 Naturalistic Driving Study, which included over a thousand participants 60 and older. The objective of this project is to combine the data from the previous NHTSA studies to obtain more statistical power for determining how age, sex, clinical scores, and on-road driving scores affect driving exposure and behaviors. Analyses of the NDS data will further the understanding of the relationship between functional measures, driving habits and exposure based on a much longer exposure period than the NHTSA data.

Impact Analysis of Bicyclist Safety Laws
August 2021
DOT HS 813 123
Many States enacted bicycle traffic safety laws to improve safety for bicyclists. This study examined the effects of six laws (safe passing, mandatory helmet use, bicycling under the influence, where-to-ride, sidewalk riding, and the Idaho stop) on bicyclist safety metrics to determine if States and communities should create separate laws that govern bicyclists on roadways, and if bicyclist-specific traffic safety laws protect bicyclists from motor vehicle crash injuries and fatalities. Data on police-reported crashes involving bicyclists were collected from 34 States, with 28 coming from NHTSA’s State Data System (SDS) over a number of years. Safety metrics of each law were modeled using generalized linear mixed models. States with safe passing (SP) or where-to-ride (WTR) laws experienced 23 percent and 13 percent fewer related crashes, respectively, relative to States with none. States with both SP and WTR laws had 12 percent fewer. Post-enactment, SP-only States had 11 percent more related crashes annually, while WTR-only States had 0.4 percent more, and States with both had 5 percent more. Helmet use was 20 percent higher in States with mandatory helmet use (MHU) laws and increased 7 percent each year after the laws were enacted. Fatalities and incapacitating injuries were found to decrease by 2 percent in States with MHU laws. States with bicycling-under-the-influence (BUI) laws had 38 percent fewer crashes of intoxicated bicyclists than States without such laws, and additional annual decreases of 8 percent post-enactment. Roadway crashes fell 4 percent in States with permissive sidewalk-riding (SR) laws compared to States with no SR law. States with permissive SR laws had 94 percent fewer intersection-related roadway crashes and 656 percent more intersection-related sidewalk crashes.

Pilot Test of a Methodology for an Observation Survey of Motorcycle Personal Protective Equipment
May 2021
DOT HS 813 062
Motorcycle personal protective equipment (PPE), an important traffic safety countermeasure, can include a safety-certified helmet, impact- and skid-resistant jackets and pants, motorcycle gloves, and sturdy, over-ankle boots. NHTSA, State highway safety offices (SHSO), and motorcycle safety groups conduct programs to encourage motorcyclists to use protective gear, especially helmets, but the impact of these programs is not well understood. Compared to observation surveys of seat belt use, observation surveys of motorcycle PPE use are not common, and the methodology for such surveys is not well established. This study sought to develop a methodology for an observation survey of motorcycle PPE that would be resource-efficient, valid, and adaptable to any jurisdiction. The design was implemented in Florida, with two rounds of data collection. The survey used a probability-based sample of road segments stratified by four State regions and road types, including roads classified as motorcycle “Best Rides.” The sample selected road segments per probability proportional to size (PPS), with the length of road segment as the measure of size. The first round resulted in 841 motorcyclists observed, with a 43-percent mean use rate of USDOT-certified helmets, and a standard error of 17 percent. The second round of data collection adjusted the sampling by using an equal probability sample of road segments, not PPS. The second-round results resulted in 873 motorcyclists observed, with a 61-percent mean use rate of USDOT-certified helmets, and a reduced standard error of 7.7 percent. The results suggest that it is crucial to oversample road segments that are likely to have higher rates of motorcycle traffic, such as the “Best Rides” stratum. In addition, oversampling arterial road segments may increase sample yields. Results also showed that selecting road segments per probability proportional to size (PPS) - when the measure of size is road segment length - was not efficient for motorcycle observations. A more efficient measure of size for motorcycle traffic is likely to be motorcycle volume at the road segment level. Otherwise, selecting road segments per equal probability, as opposed to PPS, may increase sample yield.

Physical Fitness Training and Older Driver Performance and Exposure
May 2021
DOT HS 813 107
A number of studies have explored the association between older adults’ physical fitness and performance of everyday tasks and on measures of cognition. Improved aerobic fitness has been shown to improve motor and cognitive task performance. Further, older adults have shown functional benefits from other kinds of physical training, including tai chi and strength and flexibility training. Cognitive skills allow a driver navigate effectively toward a destination and identify and avoid potential hazards. Strength, flexibility and coordination support the driver’s ability to make accurate, and when necessary, rapid and forceful steering and braking responses. Flexibility of the neck and spine facilitate turning of the head to check blind spots. This project explores relationships between older adults’ physical fitness and their driving performance, and evaluates the effects of fitness training on driving performance. Findings will inform recommendations to families, medical professionals and others who provide guidance to older adults as they seek to continue to drive safely.

Indirect Effects of School Bus Seat Belt Installation
April 2021
DOT HS 813 049
(Traffic Tech DOT HS 813 050)
The project summarized data from a variety of sources on the indirect effects of seat belts on school buses. This report is a synthesis of the research findings and includes the results of a literature review and program scan. The findings also include anecdotal observations from bus drivers and school district officials obtained from a concurrent NHTSA project titled Education on Proper Use of Seat Belts on School Buses. Overall, the findings of this project indicate that seat belt use is associated with improved student behavior and reduced bus driver distraction. The findings also show that reported seat belt use is higher when there is a required-use policy in place, and that seat belt use is heavily reliant on the efforts of the bus drivers. It is important to not only train bus drivers in the use and enforcement of seat belts, but to keep them motivated to encourage seat belt use on their buses. While this study offers a view of the indirect benefits of seat belts based on stakeholder experience, a more detailed study focusing on the indirect benefits experienced by a sample of school jurisdictions would better quantify the potential outcomes of school bus seat belts.

Examination of Three Districts Implementing Stop Arm Camera Programs to Enforce Laws Against Illegal Passing of Stopped School Buses
April 2021
DOT HS 813 102
(Traffic Tech DOT HS 813 113)
School bus stop-arm cameras are an emerging strategy used by school jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies to address the issue of drivers illegally passing stopped school buses. A stop-arm camera typically records video of vehicles and/or drivers who pass school buses when the stop-arm is extended. Several States have passed legislation allowing the use of stop-arm cameras on school buses and others have indicated they plan to propose similar legislation.

Education on Proper Use of Seat Belts on School Buses
January 2021
DOT HS 812 999
NHTSA sponsored this project to understand how school districts that purchase large school buses with seat belts can maximize their effectiveness and benefit by improving proper usage. The project obtained observational data related to the impact of seat belts on student behavior on buses and on bus driver distraction. This report synthesizes anecdotal data collected from school districts across the United States. Through interviews, surveys, and material collected, the project team examined the common components of the seat belt use policies, such as how policies were carried out by school bus drivers, and consequences for non-compliance, to better understand the factors that can influence seat belt use. In general, the most important factors in successful planning seem to be training, education and enforcement. Most interview and survey respondents said they observed seat belts on school buses contributed to calmer and less distracted environments for school bus drivers. While the opinions about seat belts often varied from driver to driver, the project team heard from drivers and supervisors that those drivers who invested more time and effort into seat belts (e.g., by maintaining and enforcing a consistent seat belt use policy) derived the most benefit.

Education Training and Resources

Pupil Transportation Program Management Course
NHTSA and the Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) developed a Pupil Transportation Safety Program Management Course. Safety for students on and around the school bus is a growing concern of the public, communities, school districts, and parents. It is a specialized field that requires understanding of the laws, enforcement, school bus operations, data and problem identification, and partnering in your community. This course is designed so that those involved in pupil transportation safety can gain the skills and knowledge to manage a successful and sustainable pupil transportation program. The course is offered in a virtual-live format and developed for State and Regional Highway Safety Professionals, injury prevention professionals, law enforcement, and all others interested in pupil transportation safety.

School Bus Driver In-Service Curriculum
The School Bus Driver In-Service Curriculum is completely online and provides refresher training to school bus drivers to help reduce the number of school transportation-related crashes and improve the safety of students in and around the school bus.
Released May 2020

Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety for Law Enforcement
Pedestrian Safety for Law Enforcement
Bicycle Safety for Law Enforcement
NHTSA developed two courses for Pedestrian Safety and Bicycle Safety for Law Enforcement, providing training resources on the importance of their role in pedestrian and bicycle safety. The purpose of these courses is to identify factors that contribute to crashes and relevant countermeasures to improve safety, recognize important details to include in crash scene investigation and reporting, and identify opportunities to partner and proactively communicate with the community about safety. In addition to being educationally sound, these courses also include state-of-the-art features like avatars, computer-generated crash simulations, interactive games and activities, and testimonials from law enforcement officers.

TSI - Motorcycle Safety - Developing Your Program through Data and Collaboration
Improve motorcycle safety programs by learning how to use data for problem identification and intervention development, while fostering collaborative stakeholder relationships.
Released Fall 2021

TSI - Motorcycle Safety- Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Course
NHTSA developed the Motorcycle Safety Law Enforcement Course to provide law enforcement officers an understanding of motorcyclist behavior and enforcement concepts related to motorcycle safety, so that they have knowledge and confidence when interacting with motorcyclists.
Released Fall 2021

Medscape’s Driver Safety: The Clinician’s Connection
This series of free web-based courses is supported by a contract from NHTSA and the United States Department of Transportation. The free courses offer education credits for healthcare providers on older driver safety-related topics. Courses can be in the form of a panel discussion, video presentation or article. Courses are free to anyone, even outside of the health care field and include issues associated with older drivers, mobility and/or impairment with medications whether over the counter, prescribed or recreational.
Please see link for the list of courses: Driver Safety: The Clinician’s Connection (medscape.org).

New Tools on the Web

Tribal Crash Reporting Toolkit: Toolkit Manual
DOT HS 813 056
June 2022
This toolkit manual describes all other pieces of the Tribal Crash Reporting Toolkit. These tools are designed to help Tribal governments collect, manage, and analyze crash data in their jurisdictions. The Officer’s Instruction Tool serves as a guide for law enforcement officers completing motor vehicle crash reports. The guide is broken into sections that correspond to the sections of the crash report. A motor vehicle crash report describes characteristics of the crash, the vehicles, and people (drivers, occupants, and nonmotorists) involved. Quality data are necessary for developing countermeasures to decrease motor vehicle injuries and fatalities. Decision-makers use the data to perform problem identification, establish goals and performance measures, allocate resources, and support the development and evaluation of highway and traffic safety countermeasures

Tribal Crash Reporting Toolkit: Quality Control Tool
DOT HS 813 057
June 2022
This document is the Quality Control Tool as part of the Tribal Crash Reporting Toolkit. The purpose of the Quality Control Tool is to help Tribal governments manage crash data quality in ways that meet the description from the advisory. A motor vehicle crash report describes characteristics of the crash, the vehicles, and people (drivers, occupants, and nonmotorists) involved. Quality data are necessary for developing countermeasures to decrease motor vehicle injuries and fatalities. Decision-makers use the data to perform problem identification, establish goals and performance measures, allocate resources, and support the development and evaluation of highway and traffic safety countermeasures

Tribal Crash Reporting Toolkit: Officer’s Instruction Tool
DOT HS 813 055
June 2022
This Officer’s Instruction Tool serves as a guide for law enforcement officers completing motor vehicle crash reports. The guide is broken into sections that correspond to the sections of the crash report. A motor vehicle crash report describes characteristics of the crash, the vehicles, and people (drivers, occupants, and nonmotorists) involved. Quality data are necessary for developing countermeasures to decrease motor vehicle injuries and fatalities. Decision-makers use the data to perform problem identification, establish goals and performance measures, allocate resources, and support the development and evaluation of highway and traffic safety countermeasures.

Tribal Crash Reporting Toolkit: Crash Reporting Facts and Fictions Tool
DOT HS 813 058
June 2022
This tool is designed to help Tribal governments and their law enforcement agency partners (whether part of the Tribal government or not) address some of the most common misconceptions about law enforcement crash reporting. This list is not intended to be exhaustive but is intended to address concerns that Tribal agencies may have about reasons for incomplete, inaccurate, or inconsistent data. The treatments of topics in this tool are organized around various “fictions” about crash reporting. For each fiction, we present the facts of the situation—how the data are collected or used—and include suggestions on how a Tribe might counter that particular fiction through training, communications, and outreach.

Tribal Crash Reporting Toolkit: Data Analysis Tool
DOT HS 813 059
June 2022
This tool is designed to help Tribal governments analyze crash data in their jurisdictions. This tool is not intended to be exhaustive, but it is intended to give Tribal governments a good understanding of the kinds of safety analyses they can perform and how the results can help define a safety program and its components.

Motorcycle Fatal Crash Data Visualization
Released October 2021
This portal presents interactive visualizations that focus on several highway safety topics of interest.

Websites

Older Drivers

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

NHTSA Tools, Publications, and Data

Safety Program Assessment

Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs

These guidelines offer direction to States in formulating their highway safety plans for highway safety efforts that are supported with section 402 and other grant funds. The guidelines provide a framework for developing a balanced highway safety program and serve as a tool with which States can assess the effectiveness of their own programs. NHTSA encourages States to use these guidelines and build upon them to optimize the effectiveness of highway safety programs conducted at the State and local levels.

Additional Resources

Older Driver Safety Programmatic Efforts

Clearinghouse for Older Road User Safety
www.roadsafeseniors.org
The Clearinghouse for Older Road User Safety (ChORUS) is project jointly funded by NHTSA and FHWA with a joint goal of developing a web-based clearinghouse of information pertaining to older road user safety.

ChORUS was created to provide trusted, comprehensive, and unbiased information for individuals and professionals.

ChORUS includes information addressing three major components of highway safety: safe roadways, safe road users, and safe vehicles.

Overcome Senior Driver Concerns With Occupational Therapy
The newly launched older driver video, made possible by NHTSA, provides a look into the ways occupational therapy can assist in senior drivers retaining their independence and mobility. An occupational therapy practitioner focuses on Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), which are activities that permit individuals to live independently and contribute to overall quality of life. For older drivers, age-related illnesses, chronic conditions, and sudden changes in health, such as a stroke or a heart attack, can impair driving ability. Changes to an older driver’s health do not automatically mean giving up independence or, in this case, the keys to the car. An occupational therapist can aid older drivers in maintaining their mobility through consultation, evaluation, and recommendations to their driving experience. Watch the video to learn more about how occupational therapy practitioners can help seniors drive toward independence. Speak to your primary care physician about community mobility and partnering with occupational therapy.

NHTSA Drug-Impaired Driving Funding Support Programs
NHTSA has three reimbursement-based funding support programs for assisting with drug-impaired driving arrests. If you have interest in any of these programs, please contact Jennifer.Symoun@toxcel.com with any questions or to submit an application. In your email please note which program(s) you are inquiring about.

Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program Implementation Support
The objective of this effort is to provide selected agencies/organizations with funding to facilitate the development of new law enforcement phlebotomy (LEP) programs and the improvement of existing programs. Any organization interested in developing and implementing an LEP program or addressing challenges and enhancing an existing program can apply. However, only one application per State-level program is allowed (e.g., a State Highway Safety Office and State Patrol from the same State should work together to submit one application rather than each requesting funding separately). Multiple local agencies from the same State are welcome to apply.

The funding received through this effort is eligible to be used for items such as training tuition, textbooks, or other items required for training; travel related to training; purchase of phlebotomy supplies and equipment; and miscellaneous office expenses such as photocopies, printing, etc. Funding cannot be used to pay for salary or overtime pay, lobbying, construction costs, or for the purchase of depreciable assets such as vehicles.

This is a reimbursement-based program. Recipients must pay for all purchases and then invoice NHTSA’s support contractor, Toxcel, for reimbursement on monthly basis (as activities occur) up to the agreed-upon funding amount. The invoice must be accompanied by a detailed report including a description of activities completed the previous month and planned for the upcoming month, any challenges faced and mitigation strategies, lessons learned, and successes. Templates will be provided for invoices and reports.

All funding must be expended by March 1, 2023.

A recording of a webinar providing more information about the LEP funding support program is available at Law Enforcement Phlebotomy Program Implementation Support Informational Webinar You will need to forward to the 3:40 mark for the audio to start.

E-Warrant Implementation Support
The objective of this effort is to provide selected agencies/organizations with funding to assist with implementing new expedited search warrant (e-warrant) programs or enhancing existing e-warrant programs. This funding opportunity can only be used to support e-warrant programs that facilitate obtaining a search warrant to collect chemical evidence (i.e., blood or urine) from suspected impaired drivers. Any organization interested in developing and implementing an e-warrant program or addressing challenges and enhancing an e-warrant program can apply. However, only one application per State-level program is allowed (e.g., a State Highway Safety Office and State Patrol from the same State should work together to submit one application rather than each requesting funding separately). Multiple local agencies from the same State are welcome to apply.

The funding received through this effort is eligible to be used for items such as equipment for obtaining/approving e-warrants (iPads or other tablets, cell phones, computers, scanners); software used for e-warrant creation/approval (such as a PDF-creator program); hiring a consultant for the development of a web-based system for e-warrants; and outreach to inform stakeholders and the general public about the e-warrant program (such as creation of a video demonstrating the program). Funding cannot be used to pay for officer salaries or overtime, lobbying related efforts, construction costs, or high value equipment that would not fully depreciate within the project timeframe..

Templates will be provided for invoices and reports.

All funding must be expended by July 1, 2023.

DUID Tool Funding Support
Due to the growing problem of drug-impaired driving and States legalizing marijuana to varying degrees, NHTSA developed the Drug-Impaired Driving Criminal Justice Evaluation Tool (DUID tool) to assist State, local, territorial, and tribal governments with assessing and strengthening their drug-impaired driving programs. The Microsoft Excel-based tool is available at http://NHTSA.gov/DUIDtool. The tool includes sections for law enforcement, prosecution, judiciary, community supervision, toxicology, treatment, emergency medical services, data, legislation, and program and communications.

To encourage use of the DUID Tool, NHTSA has funding available for a limited number of agencies and organizations to assist with overcoming the challenges identified in the results generated by the tool. Any State, local, territorial, or tribal agency that plays a role in addressing drug-impaired driving and has completed at least one section of the DUID Tool is eligible. Multiple agencies working together are encouraged to submit one joint application, if possible.
Funding cannot be used to pay for officer salaries, overtime, equipment that will not fully depreciate over the course of the project, or construction.

All funding must be expended by September 1, 2023.