Quantifying the Safety Impacts of Reduced Traffic Enforcement (BTS-31)

Status: Research Underway

Research is needed to develop a better understanding of the relationship between enforcement and safety outcomes, and to show how changes in enforcement activity/investments may or may not affect safety outcomes. Quantifying the safety outcomes of traffic enforcement can potentially contribute to the body of knowledge regarding the efficacy of enforcement. Outcomes can also help to calibrate enforcement efforts, favoring those that are more promising for given driving behaviors and violations. 

The objective of the research is to identify how enforcement activity has changed in recent years, and associate those changes with corresponding changes in crashes, injuries, and/or fatalities. Statistical comparisons can describe those factors that may be significant and guide future investments in enforcement and prioritization among policing agencies.