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Computer-Aided Traffic Enforcement Personnel Allocation Method. Police Personnel Allocation Manuals (PAMs) were developed for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by the Center for Public Safety at Northwestern University in 1991. The computerized version of the Personnel Allocation Method (PAM), developed in this project, provides a sophisticated and defensible allocation method to agencies that otherwise would be constrained in their abilities to manage patrol effort effectively, identify requirements, and justify requests for additional personnel to perform their missions. This system can now be downloaded at no cost from an NHTSA web site.
Mobile Officer's Assistant (MOA). The Mobile Officer's Assistant
(MOA) is a system of hand-held computers that enhances the security
of law enforcement officers and facilitates the writing of citations
and the transmitting of information to police and court information
systems. MOA obtains information on registration violations, stolen
vehicles, and outstanding warrants almost instantly and without involving
busy dispatchers and radio channels. MOA captures data from the magnetic
stripes or bar codes on drivers' licenses and uses the information
to create a traffic citation automatically. Officers may use drop-down
menus, a soft keyboard, and/or handwriting recognition to enter data.
Motorists sign their names on the computer screen, and then the electronic
tickets are "beamed" to a portable printer that produces
a paper copy for the motorist. MOA instantly transmits a digital version
of the citation to police headquarters and the courts for timely processing,
and without further human intervention. The system was initially tested
in San Francisco, California, and is now in operation in Austin, Texas,
and Las Vegas, Nevada (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
City of Austin, Texas, and City of Las Vegas, Nevada).
The Unsafe Driving Acts of Motorists in the Vicinity of Large Trucks.
This 17-minute training video was produced for the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA), based on research conducted previously
by Anacapa Sciences for the Office of Motor Carriers. The video explains
the performance limitations of large commercial vehicles and illustrates
the unsafe driving acts of motorists that lead to collisions with
large trucks on the road. Although primarily intended for viewing
by novice drivers, all motorists can benefit from the video, regardless
of their level of experience or the type of vehicle they drive.
Automatic DWI Detection. Conducted a study for NHTSA to evaluate
the feasibility of automatically detecting alcohol-impaired drivers
as they approach sobriety checkpoints. Identified vehicle movement
variables associated with alcohol-impairment, evaluated sensors for
detecting and measuring speed, braking, and lateral displacement and
excursions within a lane, and conducted a controlled field test involving
dosed subjects. The project demonstrated the capability of the prototype
system to accurately measure vehicle movement variables and identify
impaired drivers.
SFSTs. Conducted a field evaluation of NHTSA's Standardized
Field Sobriety Tests for Lower BAC Limits. Developed procedures, trained
officers, and conducted a six-month field study during which officers
completed a data collection form for each SFST administration. Officers'
estimates of BAC based on SFST performance were compared to actual
BACs obtained after the estimates were made, validating the SFST battery
at the 0.08 BAC level.
Detection of DWI at lower blood alcohol concentrations. Identified
and validated a set of behavioral cues that can help patrol officers
to detect vehicle operators with BACs below 0.10. Conducted interviews
with a large number of DWI experts, developed a data base of low BAC
arrest reports, and managed field studies involving thousands of law
enforcement officers from across the United States. Developed a DWI
detection guide and associated training video to instruct law enforcement
officers in the accurate detection of alcohol-impaired drivers. (National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
The general deterrence of speeding. Evaluated the effects of
the general deterrence of speeding on public awareness, the incidence
of speed-related crashes, and crime in the vicinity of the special
enforcement efforts. The project involved two experimental sites and
a control community, the development of community program support
committees, and the implementation of extensive publicity campaigns
to support the two innovative speed enforcement programs that incorporate
laser, radar, and automatic monitoring of vehicle speeds. The study
found significant declines in speed-related crashes and the incidence
of certain categories of crime in the vicinity of the special traffic
enforcement effort. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Contributions of traffic enforcement to the war on crime. Evaluated
the contributions of traffic enforcement to the detection of non-traffic-related
criminal activities and the apprehension of wanted criminals, in a
project for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Observed
officers of the Grand Prairie, Texas, Police Department in the performance
of their patrol duties, interviewed officers and police managers,
and reviewed and analyzed arrest records of the department. Found
37 percent of all arrests made in the city were made as a consequence
of traffic enforcement stops. Moreover, nearly half of these arrests
were for non-traffic-related criminal offenses detected during traffic
enforcement. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Experimental evaluation of sobriety checkpoints. Conducted
a study to determine the optimal configuration of sobriety checkpoints
as DWI countermeasures. Developed community support groups and publicity/education
materials, and secured the cooperation of the police departments in
six cities. Employed archival research, public opinion surveys, and
field data collection techniques to evaluate the relative and absolute
effectiveness of the various checkpoints configurations. (National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Detection of impaired motorcyclists. Conducted a three-year
study to identify the behavioral cues that best discriminate between
normal and impaired motorcycle operation. Conducted interviews with
expert patrol officers, developed a motorcycle DWI arrest report database,
and conducted three field studies involving more than 3,000 officers
at 50 sites from across the U.S. The project resulted in the preparation
of an instructional video tape, printed training materials, and a
detection guide to assist officers in the accurate detection of impaired
motorcyclists. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Drunk driver arrest procedures. Described existing arrest procedures
for driving while intoxicated (DWI); identified and assessed factors
that inhibit DWI arrests; recommended model DWI arrest procedures;
and prepared a police traffic DWI enforcement manual based on recommended
procedures. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Evaluation of a passive alcohol sensor. Designed and conducted
a field evaluation of a device developed to detect alcohol-impaired
drivers. Collected data in the course of 1159 stops by police officers
during 1120 hours of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) patrol. (Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety)
On-the-road police detection of driving while intoxicated.
Determined the most effective cues and procedures for the visual detection
of driving while intoxicated (DWI). Analyzed previous research; obtained
expert opinion; analyzed arrest reports; and conduced field studies
involving 12 police agencies, 466 patrol officers, and 788,200 person-hours
of patrol activity. Prepared a DWI detection guide and an instructional
video on its application. The system has been used by more than 5,000
police agencies. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
General deterrence of driving while intoxicated. Conducted
a system analysis of the general deterrence of driving while intoxicated
(DWI). Identified system elements and countermeasure components relevant
to the DWI decision; processed and incorporated them into a system
model; assessed the impact of alternative countermeasures and the
sensitivity of system parameters through a computer simulation based
on the model. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Enforcement of state safety belt use laws. Developed local
support for programs in two states, developed materials and generated
publicity, monitored and regulated law enforcement activity, measured
public awareness, collected objective measures of compliance with
safety belt regulations, and analyzed data to determine effectiveness
of program. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Field studies of driver speed adaptation. Designed and conducted
three field studies of the speed-adaptation theory. Determined the
extent of the effect and defined the associated practical implications.
Specified the conditions under which the effect is likely to be observed,
magnitude of the effect, the persistence of the effect, the role of
speed perpetuation, and the effectiveness of possible countermeasures.
(Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
High-risk drivers. Developed an approach for predicting the
alcohol-related crash involvement of high-risk drivers. Considered
methods of data collection, multivariate predictive model building,
and assessment of predictive and concurrent validity. Applied the
results to design of pre-crash countermeasures and delivery of police
traffic services, law enforcement, licensing, and adjudication. (National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Motorist trip planning and map use. Determined the factors
that influence the route-finding capabilities of automobile drivers.
Surveyed and tested a sample of over 5,000 automobile drivers and
roadside locations in West Virginia and California. Developed recommended
improvements in mapping, road-signing, and highway design. (West Virginia
Department of Highways)
Research on risk-taking. Defined the universe of risk-taking
behaviors for motorcycle riders and automobile drivers; selected measurable
behaviors and developed measurement methods; tested the practical
feasibility and adequacy of the measures for research on risk-taking
behavior. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
Seat belt compliance. Conducted a field study to measure compliance
with the California seat-belt law through unobtrusive observation
of driver behavior by a team of field research technicians. (Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety)
Safe Streets. Evaluated the Albuquerque Police Department's
"Safe Streets 1997" special enforcement program and prepared a case
study report for NHTSA. Observed and interviewed officers and police
managers, and conducted statistical analyses of arrest, crash, and
crime data.
Unsafe Driving in the Vicinity of Trucks. Conducted a study
for the Federal Highway Administration's Office of Motor Carriers
to identify the unsafe driving acts (UDAs) of motorists in the vivinity
of large trucks. Analyzed natinal crash statistics, interviewed collision
investigators and commercial motor vehicle operators, reviewed more
than 1,000 collision investigation reports, and conducted a systematic
rating exercise by experts. The research led to the identification
of a list of 23 UDAs. Development of a training course for law enforcement
officers and changes to the Uniform Motor Vehicle Code were recommended.
Speed Research. Conducted a study for the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) to synthesize safety-related research concerning speed and
speed control. Reviewed the scientific and engineering literature,
conducted archival research, and interviewed traffic engineering experts.
Issues addressed include speed-safety relationships, factors influencing
speed, speed zoning, enforcement, and speed control (traffic calming).
Bicycle/motor-vehicle accident types. Identified specific accident
types and defined potential countermeasures tailored to reduce the
incidence of each type. Collected a large and representative sample
of accident cases from geographically diverse sites throughout the
United States. Studied each case to identify operator, vehicular,
and environmental factors causally related to the crash. Classified
cases exhibiting commonality in the patterns of causally related factors
into appropriate accident types. (National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration)
Bicycle safety and education. Developed and tested a bicycle
safety education program for school-age children, specifically aimed
at knowledge and skill deficiencies that precipitate bicycle/motor-vehicle
crashes. Developed a booklet, Bicycle Rules of the Road, printed and
distributed statewide by the California State Department of Education.
(City of Santa Barbara and California Office of Traffic Safety)
Bicycle safety information for school teachers. Prepared a
document on bicycle safety for primary and secondary school teachers
who might become involved in bicycle safety education programs. Included
a definition of problems in assessing accident causation, a behavior
sequence model, accident types, educational techniques, and critical
issues. (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety)
Conspicuity of pedestrians and bicyclists. Analyzed factors
that influence the conspicuity of pedestrians and bicyclists. Recommended
devices that enhance conspicuity, considering the most frequently
occurring accident types. (Dunlap and Associates)
Countermeasures for bicycle/motor-vehicle problem types. Developed
countermeasures including training programs, public-safety messages,
and bicycle-safety regulations for reducing the incidence of specific
bicycle/motor-vehicle problem types. (Dunlap & Associates) |
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