Evaluation of the Michigan TACT Program
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UMTRI Report 2014-24 Evaluation of the Michigan TACT Program FINAL REPORT Lidia P. Kostyniuk, Daniel Blower, Lisa J. Molnar, David W. Eby, Renée M. St. Louis, Nicole Zanier September 2014 Content disclaimer The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. This report was prepared in cooperation with the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. ii Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. UMTRI 2014-24 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Evaluation of the Michigan TACT Program September, 2014 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Lidia P. Kostyniuk, Daniel Blower, Lisa J. Molnar, David W. Eby, Renée UMTRI-2014-24 M. St. Louis, Nicole Zanier 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit no. (TRAIS) The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute 2901 Baxter Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2150 U.S.A. 11. Contract or Grant No. 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning Final Michigan State Police 333 South Grand Avenue 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Lansing, Michigan 48909-0634 15. Supplementary Notes 16. Abstract This report documents the evaluation of the Michigan Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) program. The TACT program was conducted in three 2-week waves in the fall of 2013 near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Comparable sites in southeast Michigan served as a comparison area. The TACT program combined high visibility enforcement with a public information and education (PI&E) campaign focused on unsafe driving behaviors of cars and trucks near each other. An evaluation of the TACT implementation found that that the enforcement and PI&E plans were followed reasonably well. Outcomes in terms of driver behaviors, attitudes, and traffic safety were tested by means of surveys of motorists and truck drivers; an observational study of passing and merging behaviors of passenger cars near large trucks; and analysis of crash data. A before/after with comparison design was used to measure any effect in each outcome. Results indicated that the PI&E messages reached the drivers in the program area. Analysis of the survey data did not identify any statistically significant changes in self- reported behaviors among the drivers in the program area. The proportion of safe passing and merging maneuvers recorded in the observational study were quite high before the program and did not change significantly after the program. A Poisson crash rate model adjusted for over-dispersion and using six- years of monthly crash data from the program and comparison areas was developed. It accounted for traffic volumes, proportion of trucks in the traffic, snowfall and precipitation, and the economy. The crash data analysis did not identify significant effects of the program on crash rates. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Unlimited 19. Security Classification (of this report) 20. Security Classification (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 126 iii Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 2.0 TACT Program Process Evaluation ........................................................................................................ 4 2.1 TACT Enforcement Activities .............................................................................................................. 4 2.2 Public Information and Education Campaign ...................................................................................... 6 2.3 Structured Interviews with Law Enforcement .................................................................................... 10 2.3.1 Key Themes and Findings from Interviews ............................................................................... 11 3.0 Changes in Knowledge and Awareness ............................................................................................... 15 3.1 Survey of Motorists ........................................................................................................................... 15 3.1.1 Questionnaire ............................................................................................................................ 15 3.1.2 Sample ...................................................................................................................................... 15 3.1.3 Survey Administration................................................................................................................ 16 3.1.4 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 16 3.1.5 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Truck Driver Survey .......................................................................................................................... 27 3.2.1 Questionnaire ............................................................................................................................ 27 3.2.2 Sample and Survey Administration ........................................................................................... 28 3.2.3 Data analysis ............................................................................................................................. 28 3.2.4 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 29 3.3 Comparison of Findings from Surveys of Motorists and Truck Drivers............................................. 38 4.0 Observational Study of Driving Behavior .............................................................................................. 41 4.1 Methods ............................................................................................................................................. 41 4.2 Results .............................................................................................................................................. 42 5.0 Analysis of Safety Outcome ................................................................................................................. 46 5.1 Data ................................................................................................................................................... 46 5.2 Methods ............................................................................................................................................. 48 5.3 Data for modeling .............................................................................................................................. 50 5.4 Model results ..................................................................................................................................... 56 6.0 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................... 60 Appendix A: Selection of TACT and Comparison Sites .............................................................................. 65 Appendix B: TACT Information Card .......................................................................................................... 68 Appendix C: Wave One TACT Enforcement Plans .................................................................................... 69 iv Appendix D: Law Enforcement Summary Reporting Form ......................................................................... 74 Appendix E: Enforcement Activities by Wave and Agency ......................................................................... 75 Appendix F: Billboard Concept, Locations, Cost and E.O.I. Ratings .......................................................... 77 Appendix G: TACT Media Event Materials ................................................................................................. 78 Appendix H: Radio and Billboard Summary ............................................................................................... 94 Appendix I: Television News Stories ........................................................................................................... 97 Appendix J: Structured Interview Questions ............................................................................................. 101 Appendix K: Motorist Survey Instrument .................................................................................................. 102 Appendix L: Truck Driver Survey Instrument ............................................................................................ 115 v List of Tables Table 2.1 TACT Enforcement Measures by Wave ....................................................................................... 6 Table 2.2 TACT Enforcement Measures by Wave and Agency ................................................................... 6 Table 2.3 TACT Program Earned Media by Wave ..................................................................................... 10 Table 2.4 TACT Program Paid Media by Wave .......................................................................................... 10 Table 3.1 Demographics