GHSA Policy on Traffic Safety and Law Enforcement

Excerpted from GHSA Policies & Priorities

The proper enforcement of traffic safety laws is crucial for the safety and well-being of the public and will remain an essential element of safety programs for the foreseeable future. Traffic enforcement and criminal justice elements of highway safety provide significant value, including by reinforcing social norms, creating general deterrence for dangerous driving, stopping dangerous driving when it occurs and preventing recidivism among high-risk offenders.

GHSA believes that traffic enforcement should be performed in an unbiased and professional fashion. No law enforcement agency should condone or direct the use of race, ethnicity, gender or socio-economic class as a reason for stopping a motorist.

Data clearly demonstrate that racial disparities are common in both the frequency of traffic stops and the outcomes of those encounters. GHSA also warns against systemic bias that may result from highway safety planning for where, when and how safety programs may or may not be implemented.

GHSA urges states and highway safety partners to consider steps to eliminate racial disparities and promote excellence in traffic enforcement, including:

• Involving impacted communities in highway safety planning consistent with GHSA’s policies on equity and engagement;
• Promoting the collection and analysis of standardized racial data for every traffic stop to better understand potential disparities and allocate funding toward more effective enforcement. GHSA believes drivers should self-report race and ethnicity data in driver licensing records rather than relying on police officers to ask drivers or speculate.
• Encouraging law enforcement partners to work proactively to identify and eliminate bias in traffic stops or traffic enforcement;
• Refocusing traffic enforcement efforts on traffic safety; prioritizing the most dangerous and unlawful driving behaviors, such as speeding and driving under the influence, that put all road users at risk; and reducing pretextual traffic stops for traffic violations that often do not advance safety and thus undermining trust in highway safety programs;
• Encouraging modernized police recruitment and training standards to achieve more equitable enforcement outcomes and ensuring that law enforcement agency demographics more closely align with the communities they serve;
• Partnering with Vision Zero, Road to Zero and Safe System communities to promote holistic and collaborative approaches to highway safety;
• Supporting driver licensing policies that improve equitable outcomes such as ensuring that license sanctions are limited to moving violations and exploring more flexible fee and payment structures for traffic citations, driver license fees and vehicle registration; and
• Empowering state, community and law enforcement leadership to hold accountable police officers who have violated public trust.

High visibility enforcement is a proven, effective countermeasure and a cornerstone of state occupant protection, impaired driving and speed enforcement efforts. States are encouraged to highly publicize their enforcement activities, particularly those relating to occupant protection and impaired driving, in order to increase the effectiveness of those efforts.

GHSA supports law enforcement programs and departmental policies to promote safe driving practices among police officers, including seat belt use, distracted and drowsy driving.

GHSA supports the Below 100 program, which promotes the 5 tenets of: belt use, body armor use, speed management, situational prioritization and vigilance against complacency.

GHSA encourages law enforcement partners to consider a wide range of training to improve officer wellness, professionalism and community relations, including empathy training, stress management, mental health programs, implicit bias, de-escalation, use of force and officer intervention.

GHSA urges states to increase driver awareness of “Move Over” laws requiring vehicles to slow down or move over when passing public safety, emergency response and roadside assistance vehicles.