Stephenie Slahor, Ph.D.
Recent advancements in traffic safety and enforcement focus on integrating a combination of new methods, practices, equipment, and strategies for improving road safety through data-driven insights and automated enforcement measures.
Traffic safety encompasses a wide range of methods, practices, equipment, and strategies aimed at ensuring smooth traffic flow; vigilant drivers; and safer conditions for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and school zones. A wide variety of ideas; technology; imagination; and, yes, jurisdictional restrictions are all part of traffic safety.
Distracted Driving
The evolution of cell phones from telephones to minicomputers has not only revolutionized technology, it has created situations in which the phone might become more important to a driver than safe driving. Thousands of drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, tow operators, and others have been killed because a driver was distracted by a cell phone’s alert, message, texts, camera, or other feature. The National Safety Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have promoted public education programs about the dangers of distracted driving. Their recommendations have led to such actions as upgrading or changing laws to combat the problem.
And, it must be noted that distracted driving is not just involving cell phones. It can also occur when drivers are eating; drinking; glancing at a GPS map; changing the radio setting; settling down children in the car; or talking or arguing with other passengers. In short, the distraction could be anything which takes away the driver’s attention from driving safely.
The summertime 2024 travel season saw the NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman highlighting a speeding prevention campaign through the theme of “Speeding Catches Up With You.” Beside the fact that speeding is dangerous and improper driving, it can also create stress in the driver, passengers and others on the road. The campaign was a $9.5 million media buy which featured radio, TV and digital platforms in English and Spanish.
Shulman also promoted a campaign against distracted driving. Crash fatality data indicated that, in accidents involving distracted drivers, about 20 percent of fatalities were to people outside the vehicle – pedestrians, cyclists and others on or alongside the road. She stated, “Sadly, distracted driving crashes and fatalities are likely underreported, as many drivers may not want to admit to being on their phone right before a crash. It’s also difficult for law enforcement to detect distraction during crash investigations.”
Texting, for example, whether sending or reading, takes the driver’s eyes off the road for five seconds at least. If going 55 mph, the car will travel the length of a football field during that time.
NHTSA has a “Students Against Destructive Decisions” program which asks teens to avoid driving distracted by signing, and encouraging their friends to sign, a pledge. But, parents have to lead by example, too, in their own actions and in explaining the dangers of distracted driving.
Distractions might not always be the fault of the driver. For example, there are situations where emergency vehicle lights at the scene of a crime or accident are so bright that it is difficult for drivers to see if there are people outside their vehicles or on the roadway. Adjusting the intensity of emergency lighting is needed by the emergency services on scene so that the brightness and flashing auras do not distract drivers.
Passage Safety
The brainchild of John Leibovitz, CEO, Passage Safety seeks to move traffic enforcement beyond mere speed cameras to the technology and creativity which can actually change driver behavior to enhance safety. He feels the system could both examine and enforce laws.
Certainly, drivers become aware of traffic cameras and usually slow down in their presence, but speed up afterward. Leibovitz’ thought is that technology can cover a wider area, not just one location, wherever a safer zone is required such as a business district, a site of heavy pedestrian traffic, or a school zone. Rather than catch an errant driver once with a camera, the zone would give real-time cell phone notifications to the driver to alert them of the speeding they are doing. That repetitive feedback might alter a driver’s behavior to slow down. And, because the system is data-driven with technology, it lessens, or eliminates, accusations of bias against an officer or even a neighborhood where cameras are more prevalent than elsewhere in the city.
With widespread camera coverage and because compliance is the main challenge, drivers could be cited, of course, but a built-in modality in the system could also give just a warning, or a second warning, before a fine is issued, or give an escalation of an existing fine for repeated violations. A bonus to such a system can be data collected about traffic patterns, flows, speeds, accidents, and the need for traffic signals or other modifications. Such data is not only useful for law enforcement, but also other agencies involved in design and improvement decisions.
Although most of Leibovitz’ work on the idea of Passage Safety has taken place in Washington, DC, he is seeking agencies and universities to host pilot projects in other locations where technology can be developed and used for particular constraints or problems. Leibovitz can be contacted at info@passage.city.
Download a white paper from Passage Safety detailing Automated Traffic Enforcement
Drones
Common in search and rescue and other operational uses in law enforcement, there may be ways in which drones can assist in traffic safety.
Drones can be kitted out with cameras and other features which can measure the speed of a vehicle, read the license plate, or take a photo of it. Drones are mobile enough to follow along nearly any kind of terrain or setting and yet be far cheaper to operate than a plane or helicopter which might cover the same area. (A quick note: At Grand Canyon National Park, drones are primarily used for search and rescue and for spotting wildfires. Drones are successful in those tasks, except for one fact: The park’s falcons love to attack the drones!)
Learning to use a drone is usually a quick set of lessons for the operators who can then deploy drones to cover various areas of roads and highways where the drone’s capabilities can be used. Drones might be more useful in watching for such offenses as certain types of speeding, improper lane changes, or failure to wear a seat belt.
The Pilot Institute of Prescott, AZ, has considered the possibilities drones might give to public safety. Will drivers change their ways if they see a drone? Maybe, but the sight of a police cruiser, helicopter or speed camera might be more effective until drivers become more familiar with drones as another law enforcement tool. Perhaps privacy concerns are not a problem because the expectation of privacy when driving is fairly low. But, drones can be a distraction when drivers see them and take their eyes from the road. And, there may be the thought that the drone will lose battery power or crash suddenly and that could happen over a busy roadway and perhaps cause an accident.
The Pilot Institute says the use of drones must involve driver education. Although there have been tests in the US and elsewhere for the use of drones in traffic enforcement, the concept is still not formal policy in terms of technology or regulations. Such policy could allay public fears especially when coupled with public trials which would demonstrate how drones would operate, how they can avoid obstacles, and how they can often mitigate potential damage should the drone crash.
Traffic Calming
While traffic calming might bring to mind the across the road bump which citizens sometimes nickname “the sleeping policeman,” those humps (hopefully) get drivers to slow their vehicles to avoid an abrupt jarring along a road or in a parking lot. But, traffic calming is more than that and sometimes involves more creative ideas such as painting new lines/colors/patterns; using permanent or removable barriers (planters and bollards); changing parking configurations; and fine-tuning temporary and permanent measures to improve traffic and pedestrian access and enjoyment along streets.
For example, parking diagonally, not parallel, to the flow of traffic is easier for drivers who dislike all that is involved in parallel parking: getting a line of sight, judging distance to the curb, holding up traffic behind while making those calculations, and jockeying the car back and forth once in or near the curbside to park. Configuring parking slots on the diagonal is simpler on some byways and changes the availability of parking slots – usually adding up to 40 percent more spaces than parallel parking actually offers. But, diagonal parking does carry a few hazards of its own as drivers must be alert to oncoming traffic when backing out of a slot, and as oncoming drivers must keep aware of drivers attempting to rejoin the traffic flow.
Another traffic calmer is the use of rumble strips with roughened granite and concrete to create raised lines, patterns or strips across the road which vibrate when driven upon so that the abrasive sound alerts to a change in conditions requiring special care such as a pedestrian crossing or school zone. Rumble strips are sometimes accompanied by colorful bricks or paint that delineate a part of the road needing special awareness.
Similar traffic calming ideas can be found at pps.org/article/livememtraffic Solutions vary depending on such things as whether the road is used by emergency vehicles or school buses; where through traffic gets bogged down; the nature of the neighborhood; and even water drainage.
Not Just Here
And, lest you think traffic safety applies only to America’s highways and roads, in a unique partnership between the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Road Safety, collaboration is being strengthened to enhance road safety around the world. This is in light of a study by the World Health Organization which found that road traffic accidents kill 1.4 million people worldwide, annually, with 90 percent of those injuries taking place in low and middle income countries.
The goal is to enhance road policing enforcement and safety by leveraging the global network of police leaders and the UN through programs, legislative changes, resources, and partnerships. The IACP is a natural fit to the effort with more than 33,000 members in over 170 countries.
Stephenie Slahor, Ph.D., J.D., is a writer in the fields of law enforcement and security. She can be reached at drss12@msn.com.
Crash Tests Reveal that Even Small Increases in Speed Can Result in Fatal Outcomes
Minor increases in speed can greatly impact crash outcomes, as demonstrated by crash tests conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Humanetics. These organizations tested crashes at speeds of 40, 50 and 56 mph, revealing that even a small rise in speed significantly raises the risk of severe injury or death for drivers.
“We conducted these crash tests to assess the effect of speeds on drivers and learned that a small increase could make a big difference in the harm to a human body,” said Dr. David Yang, Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “A speeding driver may arrive at their destination a few minutes faster, but is the trade-off of getting severely injured or even losing one’s life worth it if a crash occurs?”
The AAA Foundation partnered with IIHS and Humanetics, the top manufacturer of biofidelic crash test dummies, to investigate how speed influences the probability and severity of occupant injuries in a crash. They used three 2010 Honda CR-V EX crossovers, selected because they matched the average age (11.8 years) of typical US vehicles and had earned the highest rating in the IIHS moderate overlap front test. The researchers observed that, as the crash speed increased, there was more structural damage and greater forces exerted on the dummy’s entire body.
“Higher speed limits cancel out the benefits of vehicle safety improvements like airbags and improved structural designs,” said Dr. David Harkey, IIHS president. “The faster a driver is going before a crash, the less likely it is that they’ll be able to get down to a survivable speed even if they have a chance to brake before impact.”
At a 40 mph impact speed, there was minimal intrusion into the driver’s space. However, at 50 mph, there was noticeable deformation of the driver’s side door opening, dashboard and foot area. At 56 mph, the interior of the vehicle was significantly compromised, with the dummy’s sensors detecting severe neck injuries and a high risk of fractures to the long bones in the lower leg.
At both 50 and 56 mph, the upward movement of the steering wheel caused the dummy’s head to pass through the deployed airbag, resulting in the face hitting the steering wheel. Measurements from the dummy indicated a high risk of facial fractures and severe brain injury.
When properly implemented and enforced, speed limits enhance traffic flow and ensure the safety of all road users.
Download copy of the report, “Impact of Speeds on Drivers and Vehicles – Results from Crash Tests,”
A Review of Patrol Techniques to Reduce Serious Injury and Fatality Crashes
Written by the National Policing Institute (NPI), this article presents the findings of George Mason University’s (GMU’s) evaluation of the implementation of the Fatality Reduction Enforcement Program (FREE) at the Iowa State Patrol (ISP) in 2018 and 2019. GMU’s evaluation suggests that FREE reduced crashes involving impaired driving in the program area by 18% in year one and may have contributed to more significant reductions in speed-related crashes. Law enforcement leaders may consider this approach to complement other strategies used to reduce unsafe driving behaviors and maximize traffic safety enforcement efforts.
