A STUDY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TRAFFIC CASE REPORTING SYSTEM. FINAL REPORT

A STUDY WAS MADE TO DETERMINE THE PROBABLE VOLUME OF REPORTABLE TRAFFIC CONVICTIONS WHICH THE COURTS OF NORTH CAROLINA DO NOT REPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES. HIGHWAY PATROL TICKETS, WHICH CONTAIN FINAL DISPOSITIONS, WERE SAMPLED, AND THE CORRESPONDING DRIVER RECORDS WERE EXAMINED TO SEE IF THOSE CONVICTIONS WERE RECORDED. A COMPANION SAMPLE WAS TAKEN OF COURT CALENDARS TO DETERMINE IF THE REPORTING RATE FOR HIGHWAY PATROL TICKETS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THE REPORTING RATE FOR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TICKETS. THE COURT CALENDAR STUDY SHOWED THAT THE REPORTING RATES FOR LOCAL TICKETS AND FOR HIGHWAY PATROL TICKETS WERE STATISTICALLY THE SAME, AND HENCE VALID CONCLUSIONS CONCERNING THE COMBINED REPORTING RATE COULD BE MADE FROM JUST THE HIGHWAY PATROL RATE. THE SAMPLE OF HIGHWAY PATROL TICKETS COMPARED TO THE CONVICTIONS RECORDED IN THE DRIVER LICENSE FILE YIELDED A 93 PERCENT REPORTING RATE FOR REPORTABLE CONVICTIONS. IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE REMAINING SEVEN PERCENT OF THE REPORTABLE CONVICTIONS WERE NOT REPORTED BY THE COURTS. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE FOR IMPROVING THE REPORTING RATE. /HSL/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Rept No FR-OU-500-2
• Corporate Authors:

  Research Triangle Institute

  Research Triangle Pk, NC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Mcgill, P B
• Publication Date: 1970

Media Info

• Pagination: 25 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Driver records; Traffic citations; Traffic conviction; Traffic courts
• Uncontrolled Terms: Convictions
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221731
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Literature
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 3 1972 12:00AM