Distracted Driving
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State of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam | Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner David W. Purkey Table of Contents Vision and Mission .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Director’s Message ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Fiscal Year 2016 Highlights ............................................................................................................................. 4 Performance Targets/Measures ...................................................................................................................... 6 Planning and Administration .......................................................................................................................... 10 Occupant Protection ...................................................................................................................................... 12 Traffic Records .............................................................................................................................................. 21 Alcohol and Other Drugs Countermeasures .................................................................................................. 24 Motorcycle Safety Program ........................................................................................................................... 29 Police Traffic Services Program .................................................................................................................... 32 Law Enforcement Training ............................................................................................................................ 41 Teen Drivers Program ................................................................................................................................... 44 Distracted Driving .......................................................................................................................................... 49 Senior Drivers ............................................................................................................................................... 53 Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety .............................................................................................................................. 57 Emergency Medical Services ........................................................................................................................ 59 Paid and Earned Media ................................................................................................................................. 62 Legislative Update ....................................................................................................................................... 100 Traffic Safety Partners................................................................................................................................. 101 Evidence Based Enforcement Plan ............................................................................................................. 103 Statement on Unsecured Loads .................................................................................................................. 106 Projects Not Implemented ........................................................................................................................... 107 Program Listing ........................................................................................................................................... 108 Fiscal Review of Expended Funds (No Page Number) Vision and Mission VISION Have all highway users arrive at their destination and envision a time when there will be no fatalities on Tennessee’s roadways. MISSION To develop, execute, and evaluate programs to reduce the number of fatalities, injuries, and related economic losses resulting from traffic crashes on Tennessee's roadways. Tennessee Highway Safety Office Annual Report 1 Director’s Message I am delighted to present the 2016 Annual Report of the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO), which accounts for the previous federal fiscal year’s activity, provides updates regarding the state’s performance targets, and highlights program accomplishments. This year has brought many exciting changes to the THSO. In January, Kendell Poole retired after ten years of service. In April, through Governor Haslam’s Executive Order # 53, the office was transferred from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security. This fall, I joined the THSO after having served twenty-seven years within the Tennessee Highway Patrol and a total of over thirty years in public safety. Despite the many changes, some of which I have just highlighted, our office has continued to focus on our top priority: preventing crashes and saving lives. The high number of traffic fatalities in Tennessee continues to be a significant concern, despite our efforts to create safer highways, increase public awareness, and support high-visibility enforcement of the state’s driving laws. Every traffic fatality is a tragedy, and many Tennessee families have experienced untold suffering because of crashes that could have been prevented. This knowledge underscores the THSO’s commitment to traffic safety every day. Tennessee reached its highest seat belt use rate this year at 88.95%. However, victims in almost half (48.5%) of passenger vehicle traffic fatalities in 2015 were unrestrained at the time of the crash. Beginning January 2016, the fine for not wearing a seat belt more than doubled. Further, the seat belt law was strengthened this year by removing the limitation that a passenger car or passenger motor vehicle have a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds or less in order to be subject to the mandatory seat belt law. Partnerships continue to play a critical role in our mission to reduce motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries on our roads. We are committed to providing technical leadership, innovation, and program support to THSO’s safety partners, and we continue to closely work with traffic safety advocates and organizations, as well as the motoring public. We have expanded those partnerships across the state. In fiscal year 2016, 433 grants were awarded to 368 different agencies, and our law enforcement partners have implemented safety programs that target crashes on our roadways. THSO participation in national and state-sponsored enforcement campaigns remains high at over 99 percent in FY2016. Tennessee Highway Safety Office Annual Report 2 As the director of THSO, I am proud of the accomplishments from both our office and all of the grantees across the state who have made driving on Tennessee roadways safer for everyone. While we have made improvements in all areas of traffic safety, we have much to accomplish in 2017. Collectively, critical assessments, improved data collection, predictive analytics for enforcement, and data analysis all bode well for THSO's future trajectory. I am eager to meet the challenges of making Tennessee highways safer this coming year. Vic Donoho Director Tennessee Highway Safety Office Fiscal Year 2016 Highlights Several initiatives by the THSO, grantees, and traffic safety partners experienced success in FY2016. The activities below are among the many additional accomplishments described in the report. Training was delivered to 336 prosecutors and 1340 law enforcement officers through the Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutors through the Tennessee District Attorney General Conference. In FY2016, 1815 law enforcement officers and highway safety professionals received training in highway safety subjects, all of which have been approved by the Police Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission. The THSO hosted the 12th annual Law Enforcement Challenge Ceremony to honor law enforcement agencies across Tennessee for extraordinary efforts in traffic safety. 73 Law Enforcement Challenge applications were submitted: 24 from West Tennessee, 19 from East Tennessee, 17 from Middle Tennessee, 13 from the Cumberland Region, and one submission from each of the Tennessee Highway Patrol districts. Applicants competed for award recognition, prizes, and a chance to win a fully equipped police vehicle. The Tennessee Child Passenger Safety Center and its surrounding fitting stations conducted a total of 334 child passenger safety checkup/office check events for FY2016. This is an increase from the previous year when 319 child passenger safety checkup events were held across the state. Further, 2,861 child safety seats were checked. The THSO redesigned and updated its website to make it more user-friendly and easier to navigate on mobile phones. The TNtrafficSafety.org site saw 114,940 sessions, 82,768 users, and 283,008 page views during FY2016. There was 99.57 percent participation in the THSO enforcement campaigns in FY2016. Tennessee Highway Safety Office Annual Report 4 The TN Highway Safety Office (THSO) and the Nissan Foundation partnered with TjohnE Productions to support the local efforts of 78 schools to reduce teen motor vehicle injuries. Combining both THSO and Nissan sponsored events, over 51,000 teens participated/were exposed to ThinkFast Interactive during the October 2015-September 2016 fiscal year. The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) attended the International Association of Chiefs