NCJ Number
178864
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 45 Issue: 4 Dated: October 1999 Pages: 453-466
Date Published
October 1999
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Longitudinal data from Tennessee's federally sponsored Fatality Analysis Reporting System were used in a time-series research design to assess the impact on fatal alcohol-related traffic crashes of a program established on April 1, 1995; the program let citizens use their cellular telephones to report suspected drunk drivers and other road emergencies.
Abstract
The program enabled users to contact the police directly simply by dialing Star THP. A main objective of the program was to reduce the number of injuries and deaths that occurred on Tennessee highways. The research used data from January 1987 through March 1995 for the pre-intervention period and from the program's establishment through December 1997 for the post-intervention period. Maximum-likelihood results of the data analysis revealed a 2.5 percent decline in the rate of fatal crashes related to alcohol on roads served by the program. In contrast, the monthly percentage of fatal crashes attributed to drunk drivers did not change significantly on roads where the program was not implemented. Results suggested that emergency cellular telephone programs have promise as an effective and relatively inexpensive means for improving highway safety. Tables and 26 references (Author abstract modified)