NCJ Number
45603
Date Published
1976
Length
179 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT PRESENTS AN EVALUATION OF THE NORTH DAKOTA SELECTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM (STEP), CONSISTING OF FIVE EXPERIMENTS IN TWO COUNTIES.
Abstract
IT WAS FOUND THAT THE STEP ACTIVITIES OF LIVE PATROL AND CONSPICUOUS OBSERVATION IN GRAND FORKS COUNTY WERE ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES DURING A TIME WHEN THEY WERE INCREASING IN THE REST OF THE STATE. IN CASS COUNTY, IT WAS FOUND THAT RADAR SPEED ENFORCEMENT COMBINED WITH A PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGN WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SPEED LIMIT. NOTABLY, MOST OF THE CHANGE OCCURRED AFTER THE PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGN AND BEFORE ANY ENFORCEMENT. BECAUSE OF A CHANGE TO A 55 M.P.H. SPEED LIMIT, WHICH OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER THE START OF STEP IN CASS COUNTY, BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISONS WERE NOT USED. INSTEAD, MONTHLY ACCIDENT AND INJURY DATA WERE CORRELATED TO MONTHLY MANPOWER ASSIGNMENTS. IT WAS FOUND THAT SIGNIFICANT INVERSE CORRELATIONS EXISTED BETWEEN MANPOWER AND THE IMPACT PARAMETERS. PORTABLE PREARREST BREATH TESTERS WERE GIVEN TO ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS AND THEIR RECORDS WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE OF OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO CONTROL GROUPS. THE OFFICERS WITH THE DEVICE MADE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ARRESTS WITH SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION LEVELS THAN THOSE WITHOUT. A SPECIAL SPEED ENFORCEMENT STUDY YIELDED INCONCLUSIVE RESULTS DUE TO SPEED RECORDING EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS RESULTING IN INADEQUATE DATA. THE EVALUATOR CONCLUDES THAT THE NORTH DAKOTA STEP PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY DEMONSTRATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT IN REDUCING THE NUMBER AND SEVERITY OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN RELATIVELY LOW TRAFFIC DENSITY AREAS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--VDA)