A Few Things You Should Know About Highway Safety

Chris Luebbert Commercial Motor Vehicle Program ManagerMoDOT – Traffic and Highway Safety Division

A Few Things You Should Know About Highway Safety

The primary goal of the Highway Safety Office is to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on Missouri roadways. We primarily focus on two key elements to change driver behavior:

- Education - Enforcement

Behavioral Efforts

One of the most effective countermeasures in reducing highway traffic fatalities is creating general deterrence through High Visibility Enforcement (HVE). When the perceived risk of getting caught by law enforcement goes up, the likelihood that people will engage in unsafe driving behaviors goes down.

Why Education and Enforcement?

The Traffic and Highway Safety Office receives grant funds from NHTSA

(and other funding sources) These funds are used to provide grants to

state, regional and local partners for crash reduction programs

Ten Highway Safety staff oversee these programs

How do we do what we do?

Usage rate 91% (2009) 927 CPS Technicians, 36 CPS Instructors Approximately 200 CPS Tech’s trained each year Provided child safety seats to low income

families Recently hosted first Hispanic CPS course “Operation Kids” six-hour informational course

for law enforcement, EMT’s, etc.

Child Passenger Safety

One of our most vulnerable age groups Very challenging to reach Seatbelt usage rate: 66% Primary Seat Belt Law

(under GDL program)

Young Drivers / Teens

Battle of the Belt◦ High school seatbelt competition

Team Spirit◦ a program designed to empower youth to take

an active role in promoting safe driving habits Docu-Dramas “Every 15 Minutes” ThinkFirst Safe Communities MO Safe and Sober

Young Drivers / Teens

Sobriety Checkpoints - Why? DWI/Multi-Agency Task Forces Ignition Interlock Devices Statewide DWI campaigns Full Time DWI Enforcement

Units

Impaired Driving:How do we reduce these crashes?

The purpose of sobriety checkpoints is to “deter” driving after drinking by increasing the perceived risk of arrest

Checkpoints should be highly visible, publicized extensively, and conducted regularly

Deterrence versus Apprehension: “…can make more DWI arrests with a saturation patrol/DWI

wolfpack.”

Sobriety Checkpoints

Sobriety Checkpoints

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120

100

200

300

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500

600

700

800

232294

605667 654 649

Allows agencies to pool resources and expand coverage (especially manpower and equipment)

SWMO DWI Task Force (Joplin area) NWMO DWI Task Force (St. Joseph area) Jackson County Traffic Safety Task Force Cass County STEP (DWI Task Force) Clay/Platte County DWI Task Force St. Louis Regional Traffic Safety Council St. Charles County DWI Task Force Greene County/Springfield Area Southeast agencies Others in development

DWI Task Forces

Mandatory for repeat offenders (but judge can order for first time DWI offenders)

Approximately 6800 currently installed in Missouri

Be watchful: Honking car and/or flashing lights could be an indicator

Impaired Driving:Ignition Interlock Devices

Joplin Police Dept. Greene County Sheriff’s Office Boone County Sheriff’s Office Columbia Police Dept. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Franklin County Sheriff’s Office St. Louis County Police Dept. Creve Coeur Police Dept.

Impaired Driving:Full Time DWI Units

2012 Seatbelt Usage Rate – 79% Primary Safety Belt Ordinances (30 cities,

1 county) Encourage law enforcement to take zero-

tolerance approach to non-use of seatbelts “Click It or Ticket” Campaign

(May 20 – June 2, 2013) Statewide Seatbelt Survey

follows CIOT in June

Occupant Protection

Includes Speeding, Following Too Close, and Too Fast for Conditions

Provide overtime grant funding and equipment to law enforcement agencies

Focus on speeding violations, failure to yield, following too close, etc.

Aggressive Drivers

Texting and driving is illegal for drivers under 21 (tough to enforce)

Need to focus on all drivers and not only teens (AT&T Survey Results)

“Focus on the Road” Pledge 10,000 people included in drawing for a Ford Focus

Thursday, May 16KRCG and Joe Machens Ford

Distracted Driving

Becoming a larger percentage of the driver population

Developing screening tools for medical professionals to assess fitness to drive

Working with MO Dept. of Revenue to update curriculum for DOR field offices to help identify medically unfit drivers

Looking to develop a resource card for law enforcement to use in the field

Older Drivers

Single versus Multi-vehicle collisions◦ Raising Awareness

Unlicensed challenges Helmets and other riding gear Impaired riders Training Courses

Motorcycles

Commercial Vehicles FMCSA is key partner Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program

(MCSAP) Focus on safe vehicles and safe drivers Law enforcement and MoDOT Seatbelt use is a primary law for CMVs

Public Information/Education

Promote Highway Safety campaigns / programs

Media calls/requests/interviews “Arrive Alive” branding/promotion www.savemolives.com Press events So…much…more…

Law Enforcement Campaigns

Blueprint Activities!!! Work Zone Enforcement Traffic Records/Data Improvement Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Safe Communities Programs Training/Academies

◦ LETSAC, Breath Lab,

Other areas: