Automated enforcement is widely used as a supplement to the traditional use of law enforcement officers. The use of photo enforcement technology has increased in recent years following societal questioning of the use of law enforcement officers for traffic enforcement, as well as increasing officer vacancy rates in many law enforcement agencies.

In recent years the role of traffic law enforcement, and its function, have changed. And the numbers of sworn law enforcement officers in many jurisdictions have declined due to increased vacancy rates. Many states have placed limitations on law enforcement personnel efforts to engage in traffic safety law enforcement in various ways.

Injuries from motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of workplace death and a top cause of death for most age groups in the workforce. Medically consulted injuries in motor-vehicle incidents totaled 5.4 million in 2021, and total motor-vehicle injury costs were estimated at $498.3 billion.

The traffic safety community has worked for decades to put a taboo on impaired driving. While there remains a great deal of work still to do, progress has been made. For example, in recent years there has been anecdotal evidence of an increase in the number of individuals who drive to the end of a transit or commuter rail line, take transit or commuter rail into the city where they become impaired, take transit or commuter rail back to their car, and then drive home once returning to their car.

Slow Down Move Over (SDMO) laws, which have been enacted by all states, represent a new and potentially misunderstood measure to protect first responders and disabled motorists from dangers associated with being stopped along roadways. It is estimated that one-third of Americans are not aware of these laws. Violation of SDMO laws can result in fines and in some cases jail time. State highway safety offices (SHSOs) are looking for ways to support SDMOs.

Access to driver training for youth presents a significant challenge. Research has identified disparities in the quality, availability, and affordability of driver education across different communities, particularly impacting low-income and rural areas. Lack of driver training contributes to varying levels of driving skill and knowledge among young drivers, potentially leading to increased risks on the road. There is a need to understand the root causes of these disparities and their impact on traffic safety.

This project will design and conduct research on the remaining fraction of Americans who do not use seat belts, with the goal of identifying practical, actionable countermeasures that can be implemented by state highway safety offices and their partners to motivate the last seat belt use holdouts to buckle up.

This research project developed a guide for the use of variable message signs (VMS) to deliver behavioral traffic safety announcements.

The objective of this research is to provide actionable data for states to optimize the supervised driving requirement to ensure it creates safer teen drivers and reduces the crash risk for this vulnerable age group. Study approaches might, for example:

The objectives of this research are to 1) design and implement formative research to identify teen social norms, attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions related to cannabis and driving, and evidence-based approaches and models to support parents and caregivers of teens; and 2) develop educational resources that support parents and caregivers in talking with teens about cannabis impaired driving. The project will develop educational resources to support parents and caregivers in talking with teens about cannabis impaired driving and impaired driving laws.