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.
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Effects of Education on Speeding BehaviorSpeeding-related crashes continue to be serious problems in the United States. In 2022 there were 12,151 fatalities and an additional 300,595 people injured in speeding-related crashes. It is important to examine countermeasures that supplement the effective, but not fully-mitigating, enforcement on speed management To address this, this project used naturalistic driving data and self-report survey data to examine the effect of a brief speeding education course on driver speeding behavior, attitudes, and beliefs. The results showed that speeding education significantly reduced speeding frequency and duration in the longer-term; reduced speeding magnitude on roads with posted speed limits of 50 mph or higher; reduced speeding magnitude for younger drivers; and reduced speeding magnitude and duration for drivers who had no speeding citation history. |
DOT HS 813 651 |
State-of-Knowledge on Distracted Driving Due to Portable Electronic Device Use: 2008 – 2022 UpdateThis report updated what is known about the behavioral aspects of driver distraction due to portable electronic device (PED) use – mainly cellphones -- since the publication of a NHTSA state-of-knowledge report in 2008. This report is a reference for highway safety stakeholders, benchmarking the state of the driver PED use problem from 2008 to 2022 as defined by four primary focus areas. |
DOT HS 813 645 |
2022-2023 National Survey of Speeding Attitudes and BehaviorsThis report presents data from the fourth National Survey of Speeding Attitudes and Behaviors, which yields national estimates of driver behaviors and attitudes about speeding in the United States. Data was collected via web and mail surveys from 5,680 respondents who drive at least a few times per year. Results show that respondents have similar attitudes toward speeding from both a normative and personal perspective. Despite the differences observed between driver types throughout the survey results, respondents generally agreed that it is important to do something about speeding and generally agree about the use of certain countermeasures to reduce speeding. |
DOT HS 813 594 |
A Nationwide Review of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Education in Driver EducationThis report summarizes a study examining how well driver education and training courses in the United States cover the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users. Based on the findings, the study identified gaps in the current material and then created and tested sample training modules to improve driver knowledge and skills to protect these vulnerable groups better. |
DOT HS 813 655 |
Bicyclist Stop-as-Yield Law AnalysisThis research report has valuable insights for city planners, legislators, public health organizations, bike advocacy groups, insurance companies, and researchers. It examines the effects of Stop-as-Yield laws on bicyclist safety and behavior, showing associations with reduced crash rates at specific intersections. These findings can inform policy development, infrastructure planning, public health initiatives, and further academic research on bicyclist safety and active transportation. |
DOT HS 813 641 |
Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheets: 2024NHTSA published the first edition of the Drugs and Human Performance Fact Sheets in 2004. These updated fact sheets include scientific knowledge about the most frequently used drugs found in drug- and alcohol- impaired driving cases. An expert panel of forensic toxicologists, DREs, and traffic safety resource prosecutors provided input to the present version of the fact sheets. The information is targeted at drug recognition experts and other law enforcement officers, attorneys, judges, and toxicologists. The fact sheets will also benefit those in research, public health, advocacy, and driver education fields. |
DOT HS 813 650 |
Reducing Illegal Passing of Stopped School Buses: Demonstration ProjectThe project implemented a media campaign to reduce illegal passing of stopped school buses through use of automated cameras, plus an evaluation of the process and outcomes of the program approach to determine if the campaign was effective for reducing illegal passing behavior. The media campaign involved installing stop-arm cameras on school buses and paid media messaging to inform the communities of their legal duty when encountering stopped school buses, the presence of the cameras, and the tickets and fines for illegal passing. |
DOT HS 813 640 |
Driver Knowledge of School Bus Passing Laws: A National SurveyThis report documents and outlines the results of a national survey of drivers assessing their knowledge about school bus passing laws to determine if and where knowledge gaps may exist. All States have laws making it illegal to pass a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop-arm deployed, but what constitutes illegal behavior in one jurisdiction may not be prohibited in another. |
DOT HS 813 630 |
State Laws Digest on Illegal School Bus PassingThis report summarizes the Nation’s laws in States and Territories covering a driver’s duties when passing a stopped school bus loading or unloading students. The behavior typically involves stopping for the school bus if it displays flashing red lights and its stop-arm. Illegal passings of stopped school buses loading and unloading students are frequent and can lead to serious pedestrian-involved crashes resulting in injury or death. As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress directed NHTSA to review illegal passing laws in each State related to school buses. |
DOT HS 813 603 |
Novice Teen Driver Education Data Collection GuideThis Novice Teen Driver Education Data Collection Guide will help State driver education program administrators collect relevant and accurate data, the key to measuring program performance, providing insight to foster program improvement, create goals, and heighten support. |
DOT HS 813 612 |