Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs

Prosecutor Training

Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 12

Each State, in cooperation with its political subdivisions and Tribal governments, should develop and implement a comprehensive highway safety program, reflective of State traffic safety needs, as identified by the data, to achieve a significant reduction in traffic crashes, fatalities, and injuries on public roads. All programs should include a comprehensive prosecutorial training program that supports prosecutors in the prosecution of traffic-related cases. Prosecutorial training programs should be consistent with ethical and professional requirements in addition to addressing training and technical assistance needs. These programs should encourage prosecutors to make the prosecution of traffic-related cases a high priority. This guideline describes the key components that a State program should include and the minimum criteria that the program components should meet. Additional information on prosecutor outreach is addressed in Highway Safety Guideline No. 8, Impaired Driving. 

QUICK LINKS:

Program Management | Resource Management | Training & Technical Assistance | Data & Evaluation

Program Management 

Program planning, implementation, and coordination are essential for achieving and sustaining high-quality State traffic enforcement and prosecution functions. The State Highway Safety Office (SHSO), in conjunction with State prosecutor associations, Prosecutor Coordinators, and Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutors (TSRP) should ensure that State traffic safety programs are comprehensive, well planned, and coordinated. State SHSOs should provide leadership, training, and technical assistance to their State’s prosecutors. In doing so, the SHSOs should: 

  • Communicate and coordinate with State prosecutor coordinators and TSRPs regarding comprehensive highway safety plans for traffic enforcement so they can generate broad-based prosecutorial support for traffic safety programs;
  • Assist State prosecutor coordinators and TSRPs in implementing regular traffic law and safety-related prosecutor training programs;
  • Provide support and assistance to State prosecutor coordinators and TSRPs for training and technical assistance that prosecutors need to effectively prosecute impaired driving and other traffic-related cases; and
  • Evaluate the delivery of training and technical assistance through established qualitative and quantitative measures.

Resource Management 

The SHSO should encourage prosecutors to develop plans that identify those resources necessary to provide efficient traffic law-related services that include: 

  • Periodic assessment of traffic law-related service demands, and the resources needed to serve the needs of prosecution and the public.
  • Development of traffic law-related prosecutor resource management plans that address budgetary requirements, staff allocation, and facilities requirements.
  • Employment of efficient accounting and data processing systems to facilitate prompt and accurate generation, retrieval, and sharing of information and records.

Training and Technical Assistance 

Training and technical assistance are essential to support the delivery of high-quality traffic law-related prosecution. To effectively serve the needs of law enforcement, victims, and the public, prosecutors must receive regular, consistent training and have available to them individuals who can provide technical assistance in a competent and efficient manner. To this end, the SHSO should: 

  • Encourage the implementation of the TSRP program;
  • Provide Prosecutor Coordinators and TSRPs with advanced education and training in the area of traffic- related law and procedure so as to enhance delivery of training and technical assistance to local prosecutors, law enforcement officers, advocacy groups, and other traffic safety professionals;
  • Assist and support prosecutor coordinators in providing traffic law and safety-related training programs to the State’s prosecutors;
  • Include development and delivery of specialized curriculum to address the needs of both experienced and inexperienced prosecutors handling complex impaired-driving and other traffic prosecutions;
  • Encourage consistent training and technical assistance through the prosecutor coordinators to address high turnover rates in prosecutor offices; and
  • Include case management components to foster prompt and effective prosecution of traffic cases.

Data and Evaluation 

The SHSO, in conjunction with the prosecutor coordinator and the TSRP, should develop a comprehensive evaluation program to measure progress toward established project goals and objectives. Using comprehensive evaluation strategies, the SHSO should effectively plan and implement statewide, county, and local traffic safety training programs. Collected data should include training programs attended, technical assistance requested and received, and other workload information. The evaluation results should be used to maximize limited resources and measure the impact of such training and assistance on prosecutorial resources and the ability to effectively prosecute traffic cases. The SHSO should make sure that Prosecutor Coordinators or TSRPs: 

  • Include evaluation components in initial program planning to ensure that data will be available for analysis;
  • Ensure that adequate resources and personnel are allocated to program planning and data collection;
  • Regularly report results of program evaluations to project managers, program managers, and legislative decision-makers;
  • Utilize results to guide future activities and assess resource allocation; and
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of services provided in support of priority traffic safety programs.

Last updated: March 2025