More Cops More Stops: Evaluation of a Combined HVE Program in Oklahoma and Tennessee [Traffic Tech]

NHTSA - Behavioral Safety Researchhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15258312016PDFBriefUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited States. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationUnited StatesOklahomaTennesseeDrunk drivingSafety campaignsSeat belt useSpeedingTraffic law enforcementDOT HS 812 337DTNH22-09-D-00133More Cops More Stops (MCMS) was a high-visibility enforcement (HVE) program designed to address multiple traffic safety issues with one message and programmatic effort. Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in Oklahoma and Tennessee conducted heightened alcohol-impaired driving, seat belt, and speeding enforcement, which was advertised using the MCMS combined message. Highway safety researchers have previously tested the combined approach. Jones, Joksch, Lacey, Wiliszowski, and Marchetti (1995) evaluated a combined speeding, alcohol-impaired driving, and seat belt program. While the study did not reach definitive conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the combined approach, the study found combined enforcement to be taxing on law enforcement because it required heightened enforcement of multiple traffic laws at the same time. Also, the study suggested that the combined message was too complex and diluted the salience of each specific issue. The current research set out to test the MCMS combined concept using a controlled pre-post design, which allowed for identifying added benefits of a combined program over those associated with single-issue programs (i.e., Click It or Ticket (CIOT) and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over [DSOGPO]). Over a two-year period, LEAs in Oklahoma and Tennessee engaged in intensive enforcement for four waves of MCMS, two waves of CIOT and two waves of DSOGPO. The program and control areas in each State were exposed to CIOT and DSOGPO activities, but by design only the program areas were exposed to MCMS. Examining differences between the program and control areas allowed for isolating the effect of MCMS separate from the effects of CIOT and DSOGPO.129