a few things you should know about highway safety
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A Few Things You Should Know About Highway Safety. Chris Luebbert Commercial Motor Vehicle Program Manager MoDOT – Traffic and Highway Safety Division. Behavioral Efforts. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Chris Luebbert Commercial Motor Vehicle Program ManagerMoDOT – Traffic and Highway Safety Division
A Few Things You Should Know About Highway Safety
The primary goal of the Highway Safety Office is to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on Missouri roadways. We primarily focus on two key elements to change driver behavior:
- Education - Enforcement
Behavioral Efforts
One of the most effective countermeasures in reducing highway traffic fatalities is creating general deterrence through High Visibility Enforcement (HVE). When the perceived risk of getting caught by law enforcement goes up, the likelihood that people will engage in unsafe driving behaviors goes down.
Why Education and Enforcement?
The Traffic and Highway Safety Office receives grant funds from NHTSA
(and other funding sources) These funds are used to provide grants to
state, regional and local partners for crash reduction programs
Ten Highway Safety staff oversee these programs
How do we do what we do?
Usage rate 91% (2009) 927 CPS Technicians, 36 CPS Instructors Approximately 200 CPS Tech’s trained each year Provided child safety seats to low income
families Recently hosted first Hispanic CPS course “Operation Kids” six-hour informational course
for law enforcement, EMT’s, etc.
Child Passenger Safety
One of our most vulnerable age groups Very challenging to reach Seatbelt usage rate: 66% Primary Seat Belt Law
(under GDL program)
Young Drivers / Teens
Battle of the Belt◦ High school seatbelt competition
Team Spirit◦ a program designed to empower youth to take
an active role in promoting safe driving habits Docu-Dramas “Every 15 Minutes” ThinkFirst Safe Communities MO Safe and Sober
Young Drivers / Teens
Sobriety Checkpoints - Why? DWI/Multi-Agency Task Forces Ignition Interlock Devices Statewide DWI campaigns Full Time DWI Enforcement
Units
Impaired Driving:How do we reduce these crashes?
The purpose of sobriety checkpoints is to “deter” driving after drinking by increasing the perceived risk of arrest
Checkpoints should be highly visible, publicized extensively, and conducted regularly
Deterrence versus Apprehension: “…can make more DWI arrests with a saturation patrol/DWI
wolfpack.”
Sobriety Checkpoints
Sobriety Checkpoints
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
232294
605667 654 649
Allows agencies to pool resources and expand coverage (especially manpower and equipment)
SWMO DWI Task Force (Joplin area) NWMO DWI Task Force (St. Joseph area) Jackson County Traffic Safety Task Force Cass County STEP (DWI Task Force) Clay/Platte County DWI Task Force St. Louis Regional Traffic Safety Council St. Charles County DWI Task Force Greene County/Springfield Area Southeast agencies Others in development
DWI Task Forces
Mandatory for repeat offenders (but judge can order for first time DWI offenders)
Approximately 6800 currently installed in Missouri
Be watchful: Honking car and/or flashing lights could be an indicator
Impaired Driving:Ignition Interlock Devices
Joplin Police Dept. Greene County Sheriff’s Office Boone County Sheriff’s Office Columbia Police Dept. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Franklin County Sheriff’s Office St. Louis County Police Dept. Creve Coeur Police Dept.
Impaired Driving:Full Time DWI Units
2012 Seatbelt Usage Rate – 79% Primary Safety Belt Ordinances (30 cities,
1 county) Encourage law enforcement to take zero-
tolerance approach to non-use of seatbelts “Click It or Ticket” Campaign
(May 20 – June 2, 2013) Statewide Seatbelt Survey
follows CIOT in June
Occupant Protection
Includes Speeding, Following Too Close, and Too Fast for Conditions
Provide overtime grant funding and equipment to law enforcement agencies
Focus on speeding violations, failure to yield, following too close, etc.
Aggressive Drivers
Texting and driving is illegal for drivers under 21 (tough to enforce)
Need to focus on all drivers and not only teens (AT&T Survey Results)
“Focus on the Road” Pledge 10,000 people included in drawing for a Ford Focus
Thursday, May 16KRCG and Joe Machens Ford
Distracted Driving
Becoming a larger percentage of the driver population
Developing screening tools for medical professionals to assess fitness to drive
Working with MO Dept. of Revenue to update curriculum for DOR field offices to help identify medically unfit drivers
Looking to develop a resource card for law enforcement to use in the field
Older Drivers
Single versus Multi-vehicle collisions◦ Raising Awareness
Unlicensed challenges Helmets and other riding gear Impaired riders Training Courses
Motorcycles
Commercial Vehicles FMCSA is key partner Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program
(MCSAP) Focus on safe vehicles and safe drivers Law enforcement and MoDOT Seatbelt use is a primary law for CMVs
Public Information/Education
Promote Highway Safety campaigns / programs
Media calls/requests/interviews “Arrive Alive” branding/promotion www.savemolives.com Press events So…much…more…
Law Enforcement Campaigns
Blueprint Activities!!! Work Zone Enforcement Traffic Records/Data Improvement Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Safe Communities Programs Training/Academies
◦ LETSAC, Breath Lab,
Other areas: