United States Department of Transportation
i
High Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic Control 2009–2012: An Evaluation of Minnesota’s Three-Year HEAT Project
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2013-06-30
[PDF-2.15 MB]
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Abstract:In July of 2009, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Office of Traffic Safety and Technology (OTST), Department of Public Safety (DPS) Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) along with the Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) collaborated to develop an aggressive driving education and enforcement campaign – High Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT). The HEAT Project began July 2009 and concluded July 2012. The three-year program aimed to improve roadway safety through education and heightened traffic enforcement. MSP troopers and local law enforcement officers provided heightened enforcement through overtime hours. In order to identify corridors with a concentration of aggressive driving related crashes, MnDOT OTST analyzed several years of crash data. MnDOT District Traffic Engineers, MSP, and local law enforcement agencies provided input and narrowed the list of enforcement corridors. Law enforcement agencies nominated one or two additional corridors from local roadways. The project team assigned each enforcement district with a minimum of three enforcement zones plus one enforcement zone on the county road system. Enforcement waves lasted two weeks and enforcement schedules rotated between night and day shifts. The project team identified males and young drivers as the target audience of the HEAT Education Campaigns. Analysis of the crash data confirmed that males account for nearly two out of three fatal and serious injury crashes at all ages, with young drivers of both sexes over-represented. This priority informed the evaluation methods. Prior to HEAT, compliance with the posted speed limit was relatively low on most roadways; during HEAT Enforcement, the compliance rate increased. However, after HEAT, compliance with the Posted Speed Limit (PSL) returned to baseline levels on most roadway types. Sustained enforcement presence aligns travel speeds with the posted speed limits! A survey of Minnesota roadway users showed a high level of awareness of traffic safety messages; most respondents said they saw messages about impaired driving and impaired driving enforcement followed by the dangers of texting, seat belt usage, and finally speed related messages. Respondents also reported high levels of support for the messaging, which may indicate general receptiveness to traffic safety messaging.
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