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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of modifying the TACT program, originally designed to work on state highways, within a metropolitan area to reduce unsafe interactions and their related crashes between drivers of large trucks and passenger vehicles.
METHODS Using crash data, the driving behaviors most commonly associated with large truck and passenger vehicle crashes were identified. A public awareness campaign using media messaging and increased law enforcement was created targeting these associated behaviors. The frequency of these behaviors both before and after the public awareness campaign was determined through observation of traffic at three specific locations within the city. Each location had a sufficient volume of large truck and passenger traffic to observe frequent interactions. Pre- and post-intervention data were compared using negative binomial regression with generalized estimating equations to evaluate whether the campaign was associated with a reduction in the identified driving behaviors.
RESULTS A comparison between crash data from before, during, and after the campaign and crashes during the same time periods in previous years did not show a significant difference (p = 0.081). The number of large trucks observed in traffic remained the same during pre- and post-intervention periods. (p = 0.625). The rates of negative interactions per 100 large trucks decreased for both large trucks and passenger vehicles after the intervention, with calculated rate ratios of 0.58 (95% CI 0.48, 0.70) and 0.31 (95% CI 0.20, 0.47). The greatest reduction was seen in passenger vehicles 'Following too close' with a rate ratio of 0.21 (95% CI 0.15, 0.30).
CONCLUSIONS Although designed for reducing crashes on highways, the TACT program can be an effective approach for improving driver behavior on city streets.
Language: en |