U.S. Department of Transportation printed on recycled paper

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

TRAFFIC TECH

Technology Transfer Series

Number 125 May 1996

COMPENDIUM OF RESEARCH AND EVALUATIONS

IN TRAFFIC SAFETY PUBLISHED

Want to know about NHTSA sponsored research description of almost 200 of OPDE’s projects, past

conducted on DWI enforcement? Or pedestrian and present, categorized in eight main topic areas.

safety? How about the effectiveness of methods to

increase safety belt usage? It’s all covered in NHTSA’s

Compendium of Traffic Safety Research Projects: A

Decade and Beyond.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s

(NHTSA’s) Office of Program Development

and Evaluation (OPDE) conducts research

projects that investigate human attitudes,

behaviors, and failures as they relate to

motor vehicle crashes. OPDE focuses on

drivers, passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists,

and motorcyclists, and their roles in traffic

safety. Evaluations test how well specific Drug-Impaired Driving

countermeasures work in the real world of

traffic safety, crashes, and impaired driving,

and the laws intended to reduce the carnage. 

Basic problem identification research identifies and

measures the importance of behaviors that cause

crashes or increase the severity of injuries. Laboratory

and field studies develop and refine countermeasures

that can deter unsafe behaviors and promote safe

alternatives. Large scale evaluations of on-going

projects measure the impact of public information and

education, legislation, enforcement, and their long

term effects.

OPDE’s research has resulted in products that have

significantly enhanced the effectiveness of police

traffic services, community traffic safety programs,

driver licensing agencies, and public interest groups

concerned with traffic safety.

The Compendium is an annotated bibliography of

behavioral research and evaluations sponsored by

NHTSA over the past ten years. It gives a brief

 Alcohol-Impaired Driving

Alcohol Impairment

Attitudes and Behaviors of Drinking 

and Driving

Countermeasures and Sanctions

Drinking-Driving Legislation

DWI Detection, Investigation, and

Enforcement

DWI Prosecution and Adjudication

Prevention

Other Alcohol Topics

Drug Use and Impairment

Drug Evaluation and Classification

Program

Other Drug Topics

Novice and Young Drivers

Countermeasures

Problem Identification

Training Development and Evaluation

Occupant Protection 

Barriers to Safety Belt & Child Safety Seat Use

Crash Injury

Education

Enforcement of Occupant Protection Laws

Impact of Occupant Protection Laws

Incentives for Safety Belt and 

Child Safety Seat Use

Surveys

Other Occupant Protection Topics

Older Drivers

Problem Identification
The Effects of Implementing and Publicizing

Administrative License Revocation in Nevada

April 1990, DOT HS 807 600

Nevada law calls for confiscating the drivers’ licenses of

DWI arrestees who either refuse the chemical test or

have BACs of .10 or more. In this study, a public

information campaign was designed and implemented

to emphasize the law and its strict enforcement. A

subsequent survey revealed increased awareness of the

sanction and reduced (self-reported) drinking-driving

behavior. Alcohol-related crashes were also found to

have dropped by 12 percent during the study period.

Evaluation of California’s Safety Belt Law Change

to Primary Enforcement

December 1994, DOT HS 808 205

On January 1, 1993, California became the first state to

implement an uninterrupted change from secondary to

primary belt law enforcement. In the six study

communities, the percentage of drivers observed

wearing seat belts increased from 58 percent to 76

percent. Police officers participating in focus groups

indicated that they were pleased with the change and

had received no negative public reactions.

Program Development Sample of 2 entries in the Compendium

Program Planning

Pedestrians and Bicyclists

Countermeasures

Problem Identification

Public Information and Education Programs

Speed and Unsafe Driving Actions

Problem Identification

Enforcement

Miscellaneous

The Compendium also includes information on how to

order individual reports.

To request a copy of the Compendium of Traffic

Safety Research Projects: A Decade and Beyond

write to the Office of Program Development and

Evaluation, NHTSA, NTS-30, 400 Seventh Street,

S.W., Washington, DC 20590, or send a fax to (202)

366-7096.

This and other NHTSA reports and TRAFFIC TECHS can

be found on the NHTSA Home Page at

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

U.S. Department 

of Transportation

National Highway 

Traffic Safety 

Administration

400 Seventh Street, S.W. NTS-33

Washington, DC 20590

TRAFFIC TECH is a publication to disseminate 

information about traffic safety programs, 

including evaluations, innovative programs, 

and new publications. Feel free to copy it as you wish. 

If you would like to receive a copy contact:

Linda Cosgrove, Ph.D., Editor, Evaluation Staff

Traffic Safety Programs

(202) 366-2759, fax (202) 366-7096

E-MAIL: lcosgrove@nhtsa.dot.gov