NEWS RELEASE

Truck Safety Project Significantly Reduces Dangerous Driving

July 19, 2006

OLYMPIA, WA – Road signs that encourage drivers to “Leave More Space” when merging in front of big trucks were posted along Interstate-5 near Olympia and Bellingham about one year ago today. They are part of a special truck safety pilot project called Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks or TACT which was organized by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

The evaluation study of the project has just been published and results were released today showing that the project significantly reduced unsafe driving around large trucks.  

RESULTS:
A total of 4,737 contacts with drivers were made during two, two-week long enforcement waves. (July 11-22 and September 19‑30, 2005).   On average there were 237 contacts per day during the 20 days of special TACT enforcement.  Most contacts resulted in a citation being issued (72%) while 28% resulted in warnings.  Car drivers accounted for 86% of contacts and CMV drivers 14%.  The numbers of driver contacts were equally distributed across days of the week with the largest proportion (17%) of contacts during the morning commute hours (7:00AM to 8:00AM).

A survey was conducted of 6,155 motorists, at DOL offices, to measure exposure, knowledge and self-reported behavior changes.  Overall, drivers at the intervention sites who said they saw or heard any of the TACT messages increased from 17.7% in the pre period to 67.3 % in the post period.  Drivers at the intervention sites also reported increased exposure to the core message of leaving more space when passing trucks (14% pre to 40% post).

The percentage of drivers who said they leave more room when passing trucks than when passing cars, rose from 16% in the pre period to 24% in the post period at the intervention sites, while comparison sites showed little or no change.

As well, observational surveys showed that violation rates were reduced significantly at the intervention sites (between 23% and 46%), and that violations at the intervention sites were rated as lower in crash risk, less intentional, less illegal, and less intimidating than in the pre period.

“Although this was not a large project by national standards, it was an important one that has reduced dangerous driving behaviors on Washington roads,” said Governor Christine Gregoire.  “Many state and local agencies worked together to improve the safety of our citizens and I am pleased with their work and the outcome of the project.”

The truck safety project was funded with a special grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the project results were included in a report to Congress by the Government Accountability Office (formerly called the General Accounting Office).

Project participants in addition to the Commission included the Washington State Patrol, the Washington Department of Transportation, the Washington Trucking Association and local law enforcement.  Technical assistance was provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration.

“The road signs are the most visible portion of the project, but it also included enforcement patrols with state and local law enforcement officers, as well as a scientific evaluation to see if there was an impact on driver behavior,” explained Washington State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste.

“The partnerships between local law enforcement and the trucking association made the project possible by allowing the officers to climb up into the cab of the trucks to view violations first hand and radio to fellow officers who could take enforcement action,” Batiste added.

The purpose of the TACT project was to increase drivers’ awareness and change behaviors of dangerous driving around big trucks, specifically “cutting off trucks.”  Both car and truck drivers were the focus for the enforcement.

“We wanted to get the word to vehicle drivers that the project did not just involve enforcing the laws involving big trucks, but that large trucks would be ticketed as well and they were,” said Commission Director Lowell Porter. “One of the challenges of the project was relaying this dual message.”

Washington was selected for the grant because of the success of the Click it or Ticket project and the State Patrol’s Step Up and R.I.D.E. project. 

In Washington, collisions involving cars and large trucks caused the deaths of more than 600 people between 1990 and 2003 and injuries to nearly 25,000 people.  Nationally, nearly 5,000 people die each year in car/truck collisions. Cars are involved in 73% of these crashes and a majority of the time the car caused the collision.

In a recent Washington public opinion survey, 95% of respondents said they strongly support the idea of law enforcement efforts that prevent drivers from cutting off big trucks, particularly if the enforcement includes tickets for errant truckers, as well.