Six Massachusetts communities have initiated comprehensive traffic safety programs in their communities to reverse the trend of increases in fatal and injury crashes. The programs include: education about traffic safety issues in the school, public education targeting all age groups, increased police enforcement, and a business for safety program to reduce drunk driving and increase safety belt use. A coordinator in the Mayor's office and a set of community task forces with public officials and private citizens oversee the programs. An evaluation program is assessing traffic safety problems in each at the outset of the program, and community progress in reducing those problems. An initial evaluation indicated that speeding and related risky driving behaviors at intersections, such as accelerating at yellow lights and running red lights were much more common behaviors than drunk driving, and that these behaviors were increasing in program cities and were disproportionately found in drivers who rarely wear safety belts. The program has expanded its initiatives beyond drunk driving reduction to include these other behaviors as well.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0345-5564 UR - http://dx.doi.org/ ID - ref1 ER -