THE MASSACHUSETTS SAVING LIVES PROGRAM: SIX CITIES WIDENING THE FOCUS FROM DRUNK DRIVING TO SPEEDING, RECKLESS DRIVING, AND FAILURE TO WEAR SAFETY BELTS

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.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/11198060
• Corporate Authors:

  International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine

  Huddinge University Hospital Center, Traffic Medicine Center
  Stockholm,   Sweden  141 86
• Authors:
  • Hingson, R H
  • HOWLAND, J
  • Schiavone, T
  • Damiata, M
• Publication Date: 1990

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 123-132
• Serial:
  • Journal of traffic medicine
  • Volume: 18
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine
  • ISSN: 0345-5564

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Communities; Driver rehabilitation; Drivers; Driving; Drunk driving; Local government; Manual safety belts; Public participation; Reckless drivers; Reduction (Chemistry); Risk taking; Safety programs; Speeding; Traffic law enforcement; Traffic safety education; Traffic violations; Utilization
• Uncontrolled Terms: Intervention
• Geographic Terms: Massachusetts
• Old TRIS Terms: Reduction
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00620459
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-041 059
• Files: HSL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 31 1992 12:00AM