NCJ Number
111701
Journal
Transportation Quarterly Volume: 42 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1988) Pages: 279-287
Date Published
1988
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article discusses analyses done to predict police traffic enforcement needs in Illinois.
Abstract
Finding a relationship between traffic and annual hours of work devoted to policing highways provides a useful tool for highway police, allowing them to project how much time may be required. It can also help measure the effect of more or less time spent on individual services. While traffic volume plays an important role in predicting accidents, the types of roads, congestion, and police presence all are critical. During the revision of a model to determine staffing for a State police agency, an attempt was made to project highway policing workload. This analysis showed very strong relationships between historic workload and independent variables such as volume of traffic and rural population. Workload is defined as the number of hours spent annually on police services, including traffic enforcement and traffic control. Data were collected by the Illinois State Police on their automated system. The dependent variable was established as annual hours spent in the following five categories: citations for traffic offenses, written warnings, motorist assistance, towing abandoned vehicles, and traffic control at highway blockages. Several independent variables were tested: area of county in square miles, rural population, average daily traffic, miles of highway, and volume. A clear relationship was shown to exist between independent and dependent variables. As traffic increases, there is more opportunity for traffic services. More violations will be seen during a given period; more motorists will require some form of assistance. 7 tables and 12 footnotes.