What is it? Dangerous driving is a serious problem in the United States. Risky driving behaviors contribute to over 17,000 traffic crashes each day nationally. Any time a driver is distracted, irresponsible, or impaired behind the wheel, there is an increased possibility of accidents and traffic congestion. For example, anxieties, stress, fatigue, and distractions can contribute to dangerous driving. Aggressive driving and alcohol impaired driving are other risky driving behaviors. The costs of unsafe driving are immeasurable because human lives are at stake. Not only are drivers themselves at risk, but bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages are endangered by unsafe driving because they always end up on the losing side of a crash with an automobile.

The purpose of conducting traffic safety campaigns is to educate drivers and raise their awareness of the consequences of all aspects of unsafe driving. Better-informed drivers make better decisions that keep the roads safer. A traffic safety campaign involves working with community groups, neighborhood associations, local businesses, and government agencies to implement a coordinated educational campaign. Such a campaign can be conducted through methods as varied as workplace meetings, public service announcements on radio and television, and advertisements on the sides of buses. A traffic safety campaign encourages people to drive safely and reminds them of the negative effects of dangerous driving behaviors to themselves, their neighbors, and the entire community.

Why use it? The main reason to develop a traffic safety campaign in your community is to 1) help save lives, 2) reduce the social costs of automobile-related accidents and fatalities, and 3) improve the safety and livability of neighborhood streets. In fact, one of the most cost-effective ways to reclaim neighborhood streets in your community is to promote safer driving. Dangerous driving puts lives at risk, costs society significant amounts of money in increased police, medical, and insurance spending, and results in lost time and lower productivity from increased traffic congestion. Here are some startling numbers from American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) that suggest how serious the problem of dangerous driving is in this country:
 

According to a 2001 report by Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP), Mean Streets 2002, 12 percent of all traffic deaths are pedestrians. According to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), during the past decade more than 63,000 pedestrians died and more than a million others sustained injuries in pedestrian-vehicle crashes while another 8,000 bicyclists died and 700,000 sustained injuries in bicycle-vehicle crashes.

In addition to strategies such as traffic calming and increasing police enforcement of speeding and other violations, auto-related accidents, injuries, and deaths can be combated through increased driver awareness and education promoted by traffic safety campaigns. The goal traffic safety campaigns is to reduce the personal tragedy, time, and money costs of traffic accidents while improving the safety of neighborhood streets for all travelers: motorists, transit passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

How does it work? Traffic safety campaigns are one of the most effective ways to improve the safety of neighborhood streets because they target the source of dangerous and unsafe driving behavior: drivers themselves. According to Smart Motorist, ninety-five percent of traffic accidents involve driver behavior. In addition, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) reports that:
 

There are many good arenas to combat the problem of unsafe driving through traffic safety campaigns. For example, they can be carried out via community-based organizations like neighborhood associations, schools, churches, and other community institutions. Traffic safety campaigns can also be promoted and financially supported by local government agencies (such as transportation or public health departments). In addition, most successful traffic safety campaigns will be actively promoted in the local media.

A particularly effective arena for conducting traffic safety campaigns is at the workplace. In fact, working with local employers to address the issue of traffic safety can result in great improvements to the overall safety of neighborhood streets. This is true not only because employees are essentially a ‘captive audience’ while at the work, but also because an overwhelming majority (91%) of US workers commute to and from their workplace by car, resulting in a significant amount (18%) of all automobile trips being work-related (Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ 2001 National Household Transportation Survey). Employers can implement a number of available tools that are known to lead to safer driving such as Drive Safely Work Week, Novice Driver, Distracted Driver, Buckle Up Employees, and Child Passenger Safety Week through a coordinated strategy of promotional activities (such as contests and speakers), and internal publicity (such as e-mail announcements, newsletter articles and other employee communications). The benefits of a traffic safety campaign at work are numerous: employees who drive safer will actually save both themselves and their employer time and money in the long run. They will also improve community livability and the safety of neighborhood streets by greatly reducing dangerous and costly traffic accidents. (Jump to the ‘How to Put this Tool into Action in Your Community’ section for more information on developing a traffic safety campaign for your community.)