Research & Evaluation
Behavioral Research
Behaviors and Attitudes
NHTSA studies behaviors and attitudes in highway safety, focusing on drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and motorcyclists. We identify and measure behaviors involved in crashes or associated with injuries, and develop and refine countermeasures to deter unsafe behaviors and promote safe alternatives.
Our recently published reports and research notes are listed chronologically below. To the right are additional resources including Traffic Techs.
| Title | |
|---|---|
Building Community Support for Seat Belt Enforcement: Implementation of Buckle Up Like a Champion Today in Norman, OklahomaThis demonstration program used a holistic, multi-faceted approach containing Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS), seat belt enforcement, community partner activity, education, and outreach to increase public support for enforcement and increase seat belt use. The Norman, Oklahoma, Police Department and its community partners planned and implemented its Buckle Up Like a Champion Today program from 2016 to 2019, focusing enforcement on high-risk areas for seat belt nonuse. Due to unforeseen circumstances it could not be implemented as planned, and citations for seat belt violations remained stable during the program period. An independent program evaluator found the slight increase in seat belt use rates could not be attributed solely to the program because seat belt use rates in the control area also increased. The evaluator also found no change in the community’s attitudes toward the enforcement of seat belt laws. |
DOT HS 813 333 |
State of the Practice of Alcohol Ignition Interlock ProgramsThis project was requested by a State as part of the National Cooperative Research and Evaluation Program documenting States’ interlock practices and program components. It presents information on State legislation, funding, data management, and other features of interlock programs. This report is useful for State interlock program managers interested in learning about the practices in other States as they seek solutions to improve program delivery in their own jurisdictions. It will also be of interest to other traffic safety partners, including advocacy groups. |
DOT HS 813 394 |
Practices for Sharing Drug Recognition Expert ResourcesThis report presents the findings of research to understand how State and local law enforcement agencies have successfully shared resources for drug recognition experts (DREs). Sharing DRE resources refers to making DREs from one agency or jurisdiction available to other nearby agencies or jurisdictions to respond to DRE callout requests. The researchers conducted a literature review and interviewed DRE coordinators from five State and three law enforcement agencies to learn more about their DRE callout programs. The report summarizes key aspects of successfully sharing DRE resources and includes examples demonstrating how agencies share DREs and respond to callouts. Agencies and jurisdictions of all sizes and geographic localities can use this report to enhance existing DRE callout programs or implement new programs that involve sharing DREs across multiple organizations. |
DOT HS 813 385 |
Developing a Webtool for Fatigue in Emergency Medical Services SchedulingOn behalf of NHTSA, the National Association of State EMS Officials had the Institutes for Behavior Resources develop a publicly and freely available website tool based on a biomathematical model of fatigue that applies to typical shift configurations/lengths among EMS personnel. The purpose of this webtool is to help agencies create and evaluate work schedules that minimize fatigue. |
DOT HS 813 390 |
The Emergency Medical Services Sleep Health StudyWhile fatigue and poor sleep quality affect more than than half of emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians, there is no known standard for educating and training. For this report the research team created the Fatigue Education Program for Emergency Medical Services, 10 brief education modules based on recommendations from the American College of Occupational Environmental Medicine. The primary aim of this study was to determine if providing education and training to EMS personnel on the importance of sleep health and dangers of fatigue improves indicators of sleep quality and fatigue. The researchers used a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, wait-list control, 6-month study design. The primary outcome was the Pittsburgh sleep quality index -measured sleep quality at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed no differences between the intervention and comparison groups in mean sleep quality scores at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Per protocol analyses showed that the greater the number of modules viewed, compared to no viewings, the greater the improvement in sleep quality and greater the reduction in fatigue. The largest improvement in sleep quality was observed among EMS clinicians who viewed eight to 10 education modules. Given these findings, the Fatigue Education Program for Emergency Medical Services may be a useful resource for EMS administrators who aim to fulfill the 2018 evidence-based guideline recommendation of educating and training EMS workers on sleep and fatigue |
DOT HS 813 391 |
Alcohol and Drug Prevalence Among Seriously and Fatally Injured Road UsersInterest in how drugs other than alcohol affect roadway safety has increased. Studies conducted by NHTSA and others gave insights, but a knowledge gap exists on drug prevalence among drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists seriously or fatally injured in crashes. This study sought to fill this gap by examining drug prevalence among a large sample (N = 7,279) of seriously injured roadway users at seven trauma centers and fatally injured crash victims at four medical examiners. Overall, 55.8% of the injured or killed tested positive for one or more drugs including alcohol, and, overall, 19.9% tested positive for two or more categories of drugs. The results are a first look at drug prevalence among a large sample of seriously or fatally injured roadway users. |
DOT HS 813 399 |
The Research on Older Adults' Mobility: 2022 Meeting Summary ReportThis report briefly describes a “virtual” meeting spotlighting research on older adult mobility, sharing news of completed research, progress of ongoing studies, and highlighting priorities for future work. Some 50 participants included physicians and other medical professionals, occupational therapists and certified driver rehabilitation specialists, State DMV officials, mobility service providers, public health practitioners, automated vehicle and Advanced Driver Assistance System experts, and other academic and private sector research professionals. ROAM 2022 included a general session and six breakout sessions on the role of the occupational therapist in older driver safety, safety implications of limited-term license renewal policies, advanced vehicle technologies, perceptions of older road users on automated shuttles and shared automated vehicles, and transportation options for rural and small communities. |
DOT HS 813 362 |
Evaluation of Rear-Seat Belt LawsRecent upgrades to rear-seat belt laws in two States were documented, based on information gathered from legislative websites, news articles, and other internet sources as well as interviews with key observers. Successful strategies and challenges were identified. An additional goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of adult rear-seat belt laws on rear-seat belt use using an observational survey. |
DOT HS 813 345 |
Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety in Numbers Program EvaluationSafety in Numbers -- SIN -- is the idea that increased walking and biking are associated with safer road environments for pedestrians and bicyclists. Specifically, as the number of people who walk and bike increase, pedestrian and bicyclist crashes will increase at a lower rate. As more agencies are focusing on ways to reduce crashes, including efforts such as the Road to Zero or Vision Zero, measures that might increase pedestrian and bicycle crashes are a concern. SIN would help to provide the understanding of potential outcomes associated with increases the number of people walking and bicycling. A literature review conducted as part of this project provides a detailed history of the SIN concept, including when the term was first coined and challenges to and refinement of the concept. This is a companion report to Report No. DOT HS 813 279 published in June 2022. |
DOT HS 813 342 |
Reducing Distracted Driving Among Adults: Child-to-Adult InterventionsDistracted driving is a problem for drivers and their passengers. Several programs exist to reduce the distracted driving habits of people who are already drivers. However, there are few programs that teach children before they become drivers, especially in the elementary school, how to intervene with a driver (usually a parent) who is distracted and none that have been evaluated. Only one program was identified that developed both a lesson to teach elementary school children how to intervene with a distracted drivers and an evaluation of the lesson. The COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary to pivot from the classroom to online and to broaden the program to include high school as well as elementary school students. Among high school students, the program produced a statistically significant increases in students’ knowledge of distracted driving and what they need to say to their drivers to refrain from driving distracted, statistically significant increases in the frequency of intervening with parents and passengers (but not friends), and a reported decrease in distracted driving of their parents and friends. |
DOT HS 813 328 |